Photos/Interview: Arresting Images Capture Afghan Women 'Between Peace and War'

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Kabul, 2005: At 24 Sabrina Sagheb, secretary of the Afghan Basketball Commission, was the youngest woman to contest a seat in the Afghan Parliament, where she currently holds a seat. (Veronique de Viguerie/Getty Images)

September 30th, 2013 by James Kochien

Leslie Thomas is the Executive and Creative Director of ArtWORKS Projects for Human Rights, an organization dedicated to using the arts to educate the public about human rights and engaging them in ending major violations. Her project Women Between Peace and War: Afghanistan takes a wide-ranging look at the lives of women across that country, with a candid view of their struggles and successes portrayed through striking photography and essays.

This Thursday, October 3, Thomas and ArtWORKS are partnering with Asia Society to present "Future of Freedom: The Fight for Women's Rights in Afghanistan," a program that will examine the status of women's rights in Afghanistan and their way forward as the crucial troop withdrawal deadline and presidential election approach. The program will feature Lakshmi Puri, Assistant Secretary-General of the UN, Ambassador Melanne Verveer, former United States Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues, along with Shabana Basij-Rasikh of the School of Leadership and Severine Caluwaerts of Doctors Without Borders, in a discussion moderated by journalist Elizabeth Rubin. The program will include a presentation of the photographs from Women Between Peace and War: Afghanistan, an exhibition produced by ART WORKS Projects. (For those unable to attend in person on Thursday, the program will also be a free live webcast at AsiaSociety.org/Live starting at 9:00 am New York time.)

Asia Society reached out to Leslie Thomas in advance of the October 3 program.

Tell us about the Women Between Peace and War project. Who is the audience you’re hoping to reach?

http://asiasociety.org/blog/asia/photosinterview-arresting-images-capture-afghan-women-between-peace-and-war#11



Herat, 2004: Gulbibi Sale Mohammed, 13, cuddles with the young son of a fellow shelter resident. Gulbibi was beaten by her brother for many years and married at a very young age. (Stephanie Sinclair/VII)