Alex Ng I included this series in my top five because it is an exceptionally complete and outstanding work of social documentary photography. Many of the submitted photo essays failed to examine their subject matter from multiple perspectives; in fact, quite a few were simply sequential records within a single scene, without considering the integrity of the narrative. What drew me to this work is its diversity of imagery, documenting the real lives of youth gangs and street children. This is a remarkably accomplished piece of documentary photography, successfully addressing a contemporary issue and leaving a deep impression on the viewer.
They live on the margins of society, fleeing police raids and taking refuge in the ruins of houses or buildings on the verge of collapse. They all have a history of violence or abuse when they were teenagers that led them to abandon their families and join gangs, their real families now. Freedom is what they have left and camaraderie is what unites them. For how long will we remain oblivious to them? For how long will we avoid reflecting on who is responsible for these young people having no place and no future in our societies?
