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.
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; 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 and recognised in several countries. He works on long photographic editorial projects. He is also a TEDx speaker for the University of Edinburgh.
Awards In 2018 the Moscow International Foto Awards awarded him a third place in the category ‘Editorial - Photo Essay'. He was Finalist/Runner up for best series in the International Photo Festival 'Focus on the Story'. Manel Quiros has been also the Editorial Photographer of the Year in the International Photographer Awards as well as getting a first and third place in the category 'People' in the Tokyo International Foto Awards. He was also awarded a Silver Medal from International Photographer of The Year in the category of Photojournalism/Story. He was also nominated in 2017 to the World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass.
