I fall in love with almost every person I photograph. I want to hear their stories. I want to get close. This is personal for me.
As the photographer, it's challenging to make images that read quickly and are powerful, but have enough humanity and compassion. I've worked on these issues in the developing world because that's where the risk to girl's safety and access to education is the highest. But that doesn't mean that we don't have issues in the U.S. or western countries. For me, I focused on the developing world because it felt like the issue was more urgent there.
I didn't intend to work on the issue of child marriage, but I felt like it was a topic that is related to a lot of the other issues, like acid attacks, self-immolation, and female genital mutilation. I wanted to continue to drive the conversation, but my overall goal is to protect girls. Photography has a way of addressing the viewer whether they want to deal with it or not, and that's why photography is such a good medium for documenting the issues that girls face.
There are so many reasons to support girls' education. It's one of the single biggest protective factors. When a girl is in school, she has other people who will notice how she's being treated at home. She has other resources in people she can trust. She is part of a community of peers: When girls have friends and bond with one another, they can encourage one another to fight for their rights and learn more, particularly if some families aren't as educated.
Education is a protective factor that helps end the cycle of poverty. It empowers the girls not just financially but also emotionally. They see more value in themselves and what they can contribute. Education is critical for changing the future for these communities and our world in general.
When I did some research on child marriage, I realized there were no photographs that showed what it looked like. But the more you dig into something complex, the more you realize how much there is to learn. That's why I've taken so many years to unravel the complexities of the issue and how it continues to be similar and different in different countries and communities.
