In 2017, when a local terror group took control of Marawi City, 16-year-old Fatima (a pseudonym) and her family fled their hometown and moved to an evacuation camp in Saguiaran, a town in Lanao del Sur province.

One day, when Fatima's mother was absent, a teenage boy entered her room and made inappropriate advances towards her. Despite her resistance, he persisted and returned later for another attempt.

This photo essay explores how displacement makes women and girls more vulnerable to sexual assault, harassment, and other forms of gender-based violence. It was part of the 2019 women’s exhibition, which was organized by Oxfam Pilipinas and the Photojournalists’ Center of the Philippines.

On a personal note, this is my first-ever published work.