Open Category: Photojournalism / Story (AMATEUR) - HONORABLE MENTION
Living in Solitude
Photo © Manel Quiros
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Banishanta is a tiny island of barely one square kilometre, constantly under the threat of the rising waters during the monsoon season, and ruined by climate change. A small riverbank village in Mongla, southern Bangladesh, Banishanta is only reachable via the river Pashur. The island has become home to 100 girls who never imagined themselves destined to life as sex workers, rejected by society, many of whom are still in their early teen years. Unregistered at birth, non of them know their own birthdate, and they possess no passport or document with which to identify themselves. Officially these girls do not exist. They are invisible to society. Also, this fact makes it nearly impossible for them to leave the island in search of a better life after they have completed their time enslaved as sex workers for their Madame. These girls are so deprived that they tend 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. Being an extremely marginalized group exposes them to the constant risk of abuse, therefore, the isolation on Banishanta Island creates bonds among the girls so strong that they become family. Learning how to live in each other’s company is to deny living in solitude.
Over these years my passion for documentary photography, got me selected as a finalist in PHotoEspaña ’14, in the section “Descubrimientos”, and made me a finalist for the “Premio Combat Prize” '14, Italy. I was Juror's Winner in "The Documentary Photograph" competition and exhibition held by SE Centre for Photography, South Carolina, United States, 2016. Winner in the International Portrait Photography Award "Shoot the Face" 2016. And also I got an Honorable mention in the category of Photojournalism/Story at International Photographer of The Year (iPOTY) 2015. It has also taken me to various European countries and Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Egypt, India, Bangladesh, Thailand and Cambodia. Working as a freelance photographer has had a big influence on my life because I know that pushing myself and exceeding the limits is essential in gaining knowledge and achieving my aspirations.
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Banishanta is a tiny island of barely one square kilometre, constantly under the threat of the rising waters during the monsoon season, and ruined by climate change. A small riverbank village in Mongla, southern Bangladesh, Banishanta is only reachable via the river Pashur. The island has become home to 100 girls who never imagined themselves destined to life as sex workers, rejected by society, many of whom are still in their early teen years. Unregistered at birth, non of them know their own birthdate, and they possess no passport or document with which to identify themselves. Officially these girls do not exist. They are invisible to society. Also, this fact makes it nearly impossible for them to leave the island in search of a better life after they have completed their time enslaved as sex workers for their Madame. These girls are so deprived that they tend 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. Being an extremely marginalized group exposes them to the constant risk of abuse, therefore, the isolation on Banishanta Island creates bonds among the girls so strong that they become family. Learning how to live in each other’s company is to deny living in solitude.
About author:
My name is Manel Quiros (1984), a Spanish photographer from Barcelona. I have been established in Edinburgh (Scotland) since 2010. The main reason I came to Edinburgh was to pursue my passion in documentary photography, to learn more about different disciplines, new language and to develop my creative thinking within the field. My work is primarily concerned with communication and I deploy a broad range of approaches in its execution. I am particularly interested in combining photography and journalism to communicate the message of the piece to a specific audience. It is for that reason I studied photography in Spain. And Media, Communication and Photojournalism in Edinburgh and Glasgow to further my knowledge and understanding, also learning English.Over these years my passion for documentary photography, got me selected as a finalist in PHotoEspaña ’14, in the section “Descubrimientos”, and made me a finalist for the “Premio Combat Prize” '14, Italy. I was Juror's Winner in "The Documentary Photograph" competition and exhibition held by SE Centre for Photography, South Carolina, United States, 2016. Winner in the International Portrait Photography Award "Shoot the Face" 2016. And also I got an Honorable mention in the category of Photojournalism/Story at International Photographer of The Year (iPOTY) 2015. It has also taken me to various European countries and Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Egypt, India, Bangladesh, Thailand and Cambodia. Working as a freelance photographer has had a big influence on my life because I know that pushing myself and exceeding the limits is essential in gaining knowledge and achieving my aspirations.
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