A child bride standing defiantly beside her husband, or girls who have escaped from Boko Haram: Stephanie Sinclair’s sobering portraits of them have earned her the 2017 Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award.The International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) announced on Thursday Stephanie Sinclair as the winner of the 2017 Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award.

Her photos touch the soul and show courage, “the emotional and intellectual courage required to continue to bear witness to scenes of despair,” wrote the jury.

Stephanie Sinclair has traveled the world for 15 years, photographing girls and young women who have been victims of violence, genital mutilation or forced marriage. Whether in Afghanistan, Yemen or India, her renowned photo series “Too Young to Wed” graphically details how child marriage destroys the lives of young girls.

“I photographed several girls in Afghanistan and I met a girl named Marsia,” the American journalist told DW, recalling the moment that changed her career and her life. “She was nine years old when she was married and she was 15 when she tried to commit a suicide by self-immolation. And so from there, I felt I had to look at what was behind this, what their life looked like that such drastic measures would seem the best option.”
The Anja Niedringhaus Award, a ‘bittersweet honor’

Sinclair’s efforts to “confront the everyday brutality faced by young girls around the world,” as she states on her website, were officially recognized through the prestigious Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award for 2017.

The prize is named in memory of the German war photographer and Pulitzer prize-winner who was shot dead in Afghanistan in 2014.

“I knew Anja, I met her in Afghanistan,” said Sinclair. “I am really grateful to be honored by an award in Anja’s name. It is tremendous, if bittersweet.”

The $20,000 (about 18,600-euro) prize was awarded by the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF), which has been committed to freedom of the press and supporting courageous journalists since 1990. The prize will be officially presented on June 8 at the German Embassy in Washington DC.(deutsche welle)