Sisters Gemma and Jojo do their make up before a night at work in Angeles City, notorious for its sex tourism. During Gemma’s first night of work, Jojo gifted her little sister pepper spray and a knife. The sisters wept. In the wake of typhoons, women and girls from climate change vulnerable areas, particularly Samar and Leyte, wind up in the sex trade after being displaced from storms. Many women are trafficked – we encountered women who were pimped out of evacuation centers, or falsely promised different work. But some women go by choice, or choose to stay after being trafficked into a line of work that is still criminalized in the Philippines, making them more susceptible to abuse. It was difficult to access at first, but eventually the women I photographed for this story treated me as an insider. My own trauma allowed me to have a greater understanding of their suffering and their survival. It was painful to tap into my own past but doing that helped me visualize their narratives and allowed me to share part of myself too. Hannah Reyes Morales / GroundTruth

Women in Angeles city, notorious for its red light district and its sex tourism industry, entertain foreign clients during the daytime. In the wake of typhoons, women and girls from climate change vulnerable areas, particularly Samar and Leyte, wind up in the sex trade after being displaced from storms. Many women are trafficked – we encountered women who were pimped out of evacuation centers, or falsely promised different work. But some women go by choice, or choose to stay after being trafficked into a line of work that is still criminalized in the Philippines, making them more susceptible to abuse. It was difficult to access at first, but eventually the women I photographed for this story treated me as an insider. My own trauma allowed me to have a greater understanding of their suffering and their survival. It was painful to tap into my own past but doing that helped me visualize their narratives and allowed me to share part of myself too. Hannah Reyes Morales / GroundTruth

A woman’s shoes are seen in a day bar in Angeles City, notorious for its red light district and sex tourism. In the wake of typhoons, women and girls from climate change vulnerable areas, particularly Samar and Leyte, wind up in the sex trade after being displaced from storms. Many women are trafficked – we encountered women who were pimped out of evacuation centers, or falsely promised different work. But some women go by choice, or choose to stay after being trafficked into a line of work that is still criminalized in the Philippines, making them more susceptible to abuse. It was difficult to access at first, but eventually the women I photographed for this story treated me as an insider. My own trauma allowed me to have a greater understanding of their suffering and their survival. It was painful to tap into my own past but doing that helped me visualize their narratives and allowed me to share part of myself too. Hannah Reyes Morales / GroundTruth

Salvaged water damaged graduation photos of Filipino sisters Jojo (left), Gemma (bottom right) and Joanne (top), in their home in the Visayas. Due to displacement from the frequency of storms, coupled with lack of work opportunities in their hometown, the sisters have all had to enter the sex trade in Angeles, known for its red light district.

Filipina sex worker Jojo and her husband dote over their new child in their home in Angeles City, notorious for its red light district. In the wake of storms many women from climate change vulnerable areas move to Angeles City to enter the sex trade after having been displaced.

Jojo smokes while waiting to be on her way to work.

Jojo’s daughter. She says she dreams that her daughter be a lawyer, so that her ‘whoring could at least have borne some fruit.’

A young girl is seen in her bed in a halfway house outside of Manila. In the wake of typhoons, women and girls from climate change vulnerable areas, particularly Samar and Leyte, wind up in the sex trade after being displaced from storms. Young girls who are rescued from sex trafficking and prostitution enter halfway houses for rehabilitation, legal counseling, and for some, schooling.

Sisters Gemma (R) and Joanne in their home in Angeles City, which is notorious for its sex industry and its red light district. Shortly after being displaced from Typhoon Ruby, Gemma followed her eldest sister Jojo to Angeles to work in the sex trade.

Jojo’s friend Rose, who works in one of the bars in Angeles city, hugs her dog. Angeles City is known as the ‘Supermarket of Sex’ in the Philippines.