RJI
   Home | 72nd Winners List | 72nd Winners Gallery | 72st Judges | Past Competitions Multimedia| History | POYi Director | Archive | Endowment | Sponsors | Contact   
Main | World Understanding Award | Finalist
Category: World Understanding Award

Winner
Jan Grarup
Freelance
"Somalia in transition"

Judges' Special Recognition
Ryan Spencer Reed
Independent
"Despite similarities to reality"

Finalist
Edu Ponces
RUIDO Photo
"Sala Negra. Daily violence in Central America"

Finalist
Paula Bronstein
Freelance for Getty Images
"Between Life and War: The Struggles of Afghan Women"

Finalist
Renée Byer
The Sacramento Bee
"Living on a Dollar a Day: The Lives and Faces of the World's Poor"

 
Finalist
Paula Bronstein
Freelance for Getty Images
 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33

"Between Life and War: The Struggles of Afghan Women"

For women, the dangers of war go far beyond the violence of combat. In situations of armed conflict, women suffer some of the greatest health and social inequities in the world. Those who are civilian casualties suffer tremendous hardships where they have limited access to proper medical care due to continued violence and a lack of security in their areas. Afghanistan's lack of social development is blamed for the way women are treated, with much of the horror attributed to tradition and religion. A young woman can be sold off to men 3 times their ages to pay off debts, sometimes they can be traded for sheep or even opium. In Taliban infested villages young females are often living without the right to a proper education. They also cope with a variety of atrocities from rape, domestic violence, to forced marriage. The worst case scenario is self-immolation, when women set themselves on fire in an act of utter desperation. Masooma,18, has severe burns on 70% of her body from self-immolation. Forced marriages, domestic violence, poverty and lack of access to education are the main reasons for women attempting suicide. October 22, 2004

 

 

72 Winners Gallery | Judges

Home | History | Archive | Endowment | Sponsors | Contact