We Cry in Silence
Smita Sharma

RSVP for the Opening Reception

On Friday, February 17, Smita Sharma will introduce her book during the opening of the exhibition, with copies available for sale. 

‘We Cry In Silence’ is Smita Sharma’s seven-year-long investigation into cross-border trafficking of minor girls across India, Bangladesh, and Nepal for sex work and domestic servitude. The project focuses on highly organized trafficking rings, unveiling the vulnerability of these young women and why they become trafficking victims. The project aims both to understand this complicated issue and open a dialogue that might spur people to work towards solutions. 

The project has resulted in a multilingual photo book published by FotoEvidence, with illustrations and resources to educate people about this global crime. The book is part of a larger campaign, which includes exhibitions, community events, and free distribution of a 12-page zine in Bengali, Hindi, and English to raise awareness. It is also being distributed to schools and college libraries in India and to anti-trafficking organizations in South Asia. 

Smita Sharma is a Delhi-based award-winning photojournalist and visual storyteller. Sharma reports on critical human rights, gender,  social justice, and environmental issues in her own community, as well as in the Global South on assignments for Human Rights Watch, National Geographic Magazine, TIME, and other publications. For more information, visit smitasharma.com

The FotoEvidence Association works at the intersection of human rights and photography through the FotoEvidence Book Award and the FotoEvidence W Award for a woman photographer. The organization aims to expand and support the work of FotoEvidence, a publishing house established in 2010, dedicated to documentary photography focused on human rights and social and ecological justice. For more information, visit fotoevidence.com

IMAGE: "I fell in love and trusted him. He said he loved me and wanted to marry me. How would I know that he would trick me and sell me for money". M., 18, fell in love with a man from her community and eloped with him from Gangasagar Island, near Kolkata. The man took her to Delhi and then sold her to a brothel. M. had to entertain around 15-20 clients everyday and would be severely beaten in the legs if she refused. She was rescued eight months later during a police raid and was reunited with her family in June 2017. © Smita Sharma