A THOUSAND GIRLS LIKE ME
WASHINGTON, DC
On 22nd October 2019, at Busboys and Poets, Washington D.C. ANOTHER WAY NOW hosted a screening and discussion of the highly acclaimed, feature length documentary film ‘A Thousand Girls Like Me’, by Sahra Mani.
Following the screening, our diverse audience heard from the expert international panel, featuring:
Belquis Ahmadi, Senior Program Officer, US Institute of Peace: Belquis has over 20 years of experience working in Afghanistan on issues related to gender, human rights, civil society development, rule of law, governance and democracy.
Sahra Mani (via video-link): Writer, Producer and Director of ‘A Thousand Girls Like Me’, Afghan filmmaker and founder of Afghanistan Doc House.
Arash Azizi: Filmmaker, co-founder Afghan Diaspora for Equality and Progress.
Amit Pandya: Non-resident Fellow, Stimson Center, who has advised U.S. Departments of Defense, International Development, Planning and Labour, to name just a few!
This was an incredibly important evening, helping raise awareness of the plight of the women like Khatera (the focus of the documentary), the issues of incest, rape and injustice, women's rights and the failings of the legal system in Afghanistan.
In particular, we discussed the importance of the role of lawyers, the public and social media in improving international women’s rights. Through our Q&A session, we also focused upon the huge responsibility men have to buy into the ideals of equality and justice for women. Without the support of men in the Middle East, real change will be very tough, indeed.
ANOTHER WAY NOW continue to support the fight for international legal justice. A Thousand Girls Like Me is part of a campaign to reform and reinforce the justice system in the Middle East, supporting women to make their own choices and recognising gender equality. At the heart of the campaign is the aim to protect and exercise women’s rights and improve the lives of women and girls around the globe. Our event was one small part of this groundbreaking, fantastic campaign, from which we are already seeing ripples the world over.
You can watch the trailer HERE
