Photojournalism nominee

Banishanta – a small riverbank village in Mongla, southern Bangladesh, populated by women who ‘do not exist,’ many in their young teenage years, who never imagined themselves destined to a life as sex slaves. Sold, kidnapped or coerced, most are unregistered at birth and possess no passport or document with which to identify them. A fact which makes it nearly impossible for them to leave the island in search of a better life even after have given their all and are no longer of value to their Madame. Their only solace, in the end is to retreat into their own imaginary world, where they wish to find at least some form of protection. Drugs and alcohol are part of the daily routine as a means to escape the pain of their existence.

Manel Quiros (1984)

Spanish photographer from Barcelona based in the United Kingdom since 2010. Studied professional photography at the University of Valencia and Visual Communication and Photojournalism in Edinburgh and Glasgow. He has collaborated with; CC ONG, Naya Nagar ONGD, Red Cross Spain, Red Cross Burkinabe, UNHCR (The United Nations Refugee Agency) and WFP (World Food Programme). His dedication to documentary photography has been developed in several European countries, and also in countries such as; Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Egypt, India, Bangladesh, Thailand and Cambodia. He works professionally on long photographic editorial projects.