Erika Piñeros

Erika Piñeros is a multimedia journalist investigating and reporting on human rights, sexual violence, migration, conflict and other socio-political issues in Southeast Asia, Latin America and East Africa. She has reported on issues including sexual violence, internal displacement, kidnapping, migration, land grabbing and and the depletion of natural resources.

Her first paycheck: “When I moved to Cambodia, I was offered $1,000 to do two weeks of photography and design work for a social marketing company. The minimum wage in Cambodia was less than $50 per month at the time. The disparity in pay between locals and expats working for international NGOs seemed unreal and unfair. I remember asking my mother whether I should do it or not, and she said: ‘If you don’t do it, someone else will. Just do the best you can and try to distribute the money in the most fair and responsible way.’”