DW Documentaries

Marlyn Capio was forced into prostitution as a child. Now she works for a child protection agency, trying to rescue young girls who work in the red light district. About 100,000 minors a year are forced into the sex trade in the Philippines.

From Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro to Lima, Peru, the world’s longest bus ride takes 100 hours and spans 6,300 kilometers. Hop aboard for an unforgettable journey along the South America’s Transoceânica highway! The first leg of the journey starts on the Atlantic shore, exploring the Costa Verde, one of the most beautiful coastlines in the country. But it’s not long until the bus crosses into Mato Grasso, the agricultural heart of Brazil, where soy fields and sugar cane plantations dominate the landscape. The region is also the home of the rodeo, a regular event in the villages along the Transoceânica route. We even find female rodeo riders here in spite of all the cultural prejudices.

The Amazon basin in Brazil is home to the indigenous Suri people – and is also the next stop on our bus ride down the Transoceânica highway. The drive along the longest bus route in the world continues through South America. Passing through Rondônia, passengers expect an unforgettable journey through the Amazon basin. But there isn’t much left to see of the jungle – deforestation means the rainforest is shrinking, and with it the indigenous people who call it home. Before the highway passed through their land, the Suri tribe lived here. But outsiders carrying smallpox wiped out nearly the whole population. Those that are left live on a reserve and are fighting to protect the rainforest. The bus hits problems as it continues through Rondônia. In Vista Alegre do Abunã, the villagers have blocked the road with a burning barricade. Will the bus be able to get round it?

From Brazil to Peru via the Andes, the bus crosses its first international border as it continues its trip through the Amazon of South America. This section of the Transoceânica highway is known as the “Gold Road”, where fortune hunters and adventurers illegally pan for gold. A raid on illegal gold prospectors is underway. The Peruvian government estimates that 20,000 people are panning for gold here - illegally. At the end of May 2016, most of the region of Madre de Dios was declared an emergency area after mercury used in gold extraction threatened to poison 50,000 people. Every few months, raids are carried out - but with limited success. The panhandlers return to their sites soon after the police have left. During the raids, the prospectors sometimes block the highway for days. But the Transoceânica bus passes through this region without incident.

From the Amazon to the Andes and all the way up to Machu Picchu, the bus continues its journey through South America on the Transoceânica highway. The mountains mark the most difficult stage of the trip for both drivers and passengers. But the passengers have a large part of the journey behind them now and it won’t be long until they reach Peru. They have crossed Brazil and driven through the Peruvian Amazon basin to the Andes. Here, the endless greenery of the basin gives way to increasingly steep rock faces. The Incas worshipped these mighty mountains as deities and called them Apus - Gods. The road takes us close to one of them: Apu Ausangate, which is 6,384 meters high. The temperature here is much lower than in the Amazon basin. The bus soon reaches Cuzco. For centuries the town was the center of the Inca Empire, until the Spaniards came and burnt it to the ground and built their own palaces on its walls. Today, the city is mainly one thing: a tourist magnet, and the starting p

In the final installment of Transoceânica, the bus goes from the Andes to the Peruvian coastal desert and then on to the capital Lima. In Peru, roughly three times as many people, per capita, are killed on the roads as in Germany or France. Dangerous places in the Andes are often given names such as "Death Bend" or "Jinxed Bend”, marking the spot where people have died. On the high plateau of the Andes, we find vicuñas, a type of lama, which produce the most expensive wool in the world. However, a parasite has recently decimated vicuña stocks, attacking the animals’ skin, leaving them unable to cope with the cold and rain. The western slopes of the Andes are dusty and dry. These mark the start of the Peruvian coastal desert, where the Nazca culture developed over 2,000 years ago. All that remains now are the famous Nazca Lines, enormous geoglyphs etched into the hard floor of the desert. The road then turns north along the Pacific coast, where there are numerous fishing villages. One

Night-time satellite images of the Earth show a sea of light that stretches across populated areas around the globe. The electric light-bulb has come to represent economic prosperity and the advance of modern technology. But too much light can have a negative effect on the health of both humans and animals -- and scientists are warning of the dangers of light pollution. At night, city lights kill large numbers of insects, confuse migrating birds, and rob many people of a good night's sleep. Humans have developed their day / night cycle over millions of years -- a cycle that dictates that people work during the day, and relax in the evening. Now, researchers are working on next-generation lighting systems that are more sustainable and work more efficiently.

The Antonov An-225 is the world's biggest airplane. A colossus - developed in the Soviet Union to carry the Buran Space shuttle. Today it carries other giants such a turbine from Prague, Czech Republic, to a refinery in Perth, Australia ASAP. On board: the crew of Ukrainian Antonov Airlines.

Who is the talented fraudster, smuggling counterfeit antiques onto the art market? Experts have named him the “Spanish master” but his exact whereabouts are still unknown. An investigative journey into the wheelings and dealings of the art world.

9/11 – hardly any other date signifies an event and its global consequences to such an extent. Fifteen years later, Americans are still traumatized by the attacks and society deeply divided.

An estimated 30 million Russians work off the books. Known as "Garazhniki," they make furniture, fix cars and do other jobs. Now, after two years of recession, President Putin hopes to legalize them and collect taxes. But many think they'll resist.

Retired actress Helena Norowicz has embarked on a second career: she's become a fashion model at the age of 82. She's booked for photo shoots and even struts the catwalk.