The Unwanted, The Rohingya

• Prize
• Photographer
  Paula Bronstein, United States

For years Buddhist majority Myanmar has
struggled to deal with a deeply rooted hatred
towards the Rohingya in western Rakhine state.
A refugee emergency unfolded in late August
after an attack on state security forces by
Rohingya insurgents, triggering a brutal military
crackdown that has forced more than half of the
country’s 1.1 million population fleeing to
neighboring Bangladesh creating the fastest
cross-border exodus ever witnessed with over
700,000 new arrivals.Thousands of children who
are traveling alone are at serious risk of
trafficking and exploitation. Many traumatized
refugees arrived telling stories of horror alleging
rape, killings and the burning of hundreds of
villages, which have been well documented by
the media, along with the U.N and various
human rights groups.

Awards Paula Bronstein’s many nominations and awards span decades and representing a lifetime of phenomenal documentary photography. Her work reflects the eye of a dedicated humanitarian photographer. She is the author of the award winning photography book Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear. For over 15 years Paula worked as staff photographer for a variety of American newspapers. In the late 90’s Paula based herself in Bangkok covering the Asian region working for Getty Images News as a senior staff photographer from 2002-2013.