- Barat Ali Batoor was once Afghanistan's most esteemed photographer working for the United States Embassy in Kabul. But in 2011, all this changed when The Washington Post published his potent photo essay exposing one of Afghanistan's darkest secrets -- the brutal trade in young dancing boys for the purposes of entertainment and forced prostitution. Distancing themselves from the ensuing controversy, Batoor was cut loose by his employers with no security. With death threats looming over his head, he allowed himself to be smuggled out of the country into dangerous territory, opening the door to the question of whether these agents serve a purpose in preserving human rights as well. He embarked on a journey that would see him cross three continents, be trafficked over multiple borders, survive a shipwreck in the open seas, become lost in the jungles of Indonesia, escape from imprisonment and spend months living undercover as an illegal immigrant before finally being granted refugee status in Australia. Remarkably, he photographed and filmed his entire journey, creating a stunning record of life spent on the run - in a dangerous world of asylum seekers, people smuggling and cross border trafficking. Through his first-person account, Batoor: A Refugee Journey retraces and revisits the sites and people from his journey, presenting the harrowing steps many refugees take in their pursuit of better lives.—Ian White
- Afghani photojournalist Barat Ali Batoor won a Walkley Award for the images he captured on his own refugee boat journey.
One of Afghanistan's leading photographers, Batoor first won international acclaim in 2011 for his powerful photo essay exposing one of his country's darkest secrets - the scandalous and brutal trade in young 'dancing boys' used for entertainment and prostitution.
But his work made him a target of the Taliban and the powerful warlords who control the evil trade. Forced to flee, he took refuge in the Pakistani city of Quetta. But with the targeted killings of Batoor's own Hazara community on the rise in the city, he again became a target of assassins.
With imminent death threats against him, Batoor was forced to flee along an asylum seeker route taken by thousands before him.
He embarked on an epic journey that saw him traverse three continents, be people smuggled over multiple borders, survive a shipwreck in the open seas, become lost in the jungles of Indonesia, escape from imprisonment and spend months living undercover as an illegal immigrant.
Remarkably, Batoor recorded his entire journey, creating a compelling record of his own journey and the lives of asylum seekers in a perilous world of cross border trafficking and risky sea voyages.
Finally granted refugee status in Australia, the 37-year-old has retraced his 12-month journey creating a powerful account of his odyssey and turning his film footage and Walkley-winning images into a stunning 90 minute film.
'Batoor: A Refugee Journey' tells the harrowing story of one person's struggle to find freedom and safety while also probing moral issues around human displacement, people smuggling and migration policy.
The film highlights the powerlessness and the precarious lives of the world's 70 million displaced souls; and is an attempt to give a voice to the planet's most vulnerable people.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content