Photographer Matilde Simas awarded for her work documenting Freedom For All’s partner Voice of the Free
In December 2019, social documentary photographer Matilde Simas received a UNICEF “Photo of the Year” Award and a Silver 2019 Editorial/Personality Award at the Tokyo International Foto Awards for “Philippines: Girls as a commodity”, a photo series she took while visiting Freedom For All's partner, Voice of the Free (VF).
With “Philippines: Girls as a Commodity”, Matilde sheds light on the plight of children who were sold into domestic servitude and the cybersex trade. These children were victims of illegal recruitment, sex trafficking, cybersex, and forced labor. Matilde’s work is an intimate look at the healing and recovery processes they go through at the VF’s shelters.
Two young trafficking victims sit in an outdoor garden at VF’s shelter. They were rescued by the Philippines Bureau of Immigration prior to boarding a flight to Saudi Arabia, where they were going to work as child domestic workers.
At the shelters, survivors are provided with legal, psychological, and protective support. They receive counseling, medical assistance, skills training, education, and an opportunity to practice sports and arts. Many of them graduate from the home schooling and alternative learning systems provided there, and then move on to work at a variety of companies in Manila.
Mary-Anne, age nine, combs her hair after taking a shower at VF’s. She was admitted to the center under protective custody after reporting that she was sexually exploited by her father.
As VF has established, most of the girls and women trafficked are promised well-paying jobs but often end up in the sex trade. They generally flee the poverty of rural towns and villages to find better opportunities in urban centers. In 2019, 59% of the survivors VF rescued were victims of sex trafficking and online sexual exploitation. 28% of them were victims of illegal recruitment. VF’s presence at major ports of entry, including at the Manila airport, where the organization runs a shelter in partnership with the Port Authority, allows them to rescue hundreds of girls and women every year.
Three survivors of cybersex trafficking do their laundry at VF’s shelter.
Since its inception, VF has identified and helped protect 90,349 at-risk people, and rescued and sheltered 21,021 human trafficking victims through its shelters.
You can see more of Matilde’s work at matildesimas.com, and follow her at @mattie_simas for regular updates.