Vanessa, thirty-five, had three children with an abusive husband. She “lost her mind, started doing heroin”, after losing the children, who were taken away and given to her mother. The drugs led to homelessness and prostitution. She grew up on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, but now spends her time in Hunts Point, “trying to survive everyday. Just doing whatever it takes”.

Members of the Kaisokah Moko Jumbies perform with fire on the waterfront near their San Fernando, Trinidad base February 10, 2015. (Photo by Andrea De Silva/Reuters)

Rickshaw puller Shiori Yoshida, 28, attracts tourists to the guided tour at the Asakusa district in Tokyo, Japan on August 22, 2023. Pullers walk or run an average of 20 km (12 miles) a day and, in addition to being physically strong, they must have extensive knowledge of Tokyo and know how to engage with the tourists who mostly hire them for sightseeing. “I have fun and enjoy myself”, Yoshida said. “In order for the customers to enjoy themselves, I also enjoy myself”. (Photo by Issei Kato/Reuters)

A model presents a creation by Japanese designer Yoshikazu Yamagata for his label writtenafterwards during the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Tokyo, Japan, 16 March 2016. The presentation of the Autumn/Winter 2016 collections runs from 14 to 19 March. (Photo by Kiyoshi Ota/EPA)

People are reflected in a shop window as they walk along a street in a shopping district in Tokyo, Japan June 25, 2015. (Photo by Thomas Peter/Reuters)

Fighters Holly “The Lotus” Mei (L) and Teri “Feisty Fists” London train for the upcoming 'Lingerie Fighting Championships 22: Costume Brawl I' at DXG Self Defense on October 25, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event is scheduled to feature eight bouts at 4 Bears Casino & Lodge on October 29, 2016 in New Town, North Dakota. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Snorkellers approach an adult manatee at Three Sisters Spring, Crystal River, Florida. You might imagine that coming face to face with one of these enormous underwater mammals would cause some concern. However, the likelihood is that the rotund creature just wants you to scratch its belly while it floats around happily, as world-renowned underwater photographer Alex Mustard discovered. (Photo by Alexander Mustard/Barcroft Media)