Safe Photography Project for the global campaign to end violence against children

Over 600 young people from all over the world sent in their answers to this question during the initial call for applications. To enable a truly inclusive, youth-led project to develop, as well as a dazzling diversity of ideas, styles and visual identities, experts were asked to assess the pitches solely on their vision and idea alone, without requirement of any evidence of photographic skill, equipment, or experience.

A panel of professional and globally known photographers and judges were tasked with selecting the best entries: Derrick Ofosu Boateng (Ghana), Angela Jimu (Zimbabwe & Malawi), Erika Piñeros (Colombia and Cambodia), Fabeha Monir (Bangladesh), Joshua Irwandi (Indonesia), and Lydia Goldblatt (United Kingdom).

Upon going through the photos and essays, Monir, photographer, ‘Safe’ project judge, and mentor, reflects on how the ‘Safe’ project is “a reflection of their creative bravery and dedication that these powerful narratives will now stand before global leaders in Bogotá, compelling us to rethink and reimagine a world free from violence for every child.”

Over the summer, the selected photographers (aged 18-25) received training, funding, and support from an appointed mentor on the Judging Panel to produce a photo essay exploring what ‘Safe’ means to them or to children within their community.

The resulting essays are striking, warm and highly diverse; considering family history, war and conflict, intimate moments of comfort, creative responses to surviving trauma, and journalistic documentation of the challenges facing children worldwide.

Topics range from tackling domestic corporal punishment in the Philippines, to safety as solitude and the struggle to carve out personal space in the overcrowded homes of Nepal, to celebrating nature as a ‘Safe haven’ for gay and lesbian young people in an African country where same sex relationships are under legal scrutiny. The project also includes a submission from a young photographer based in Gaza.