docUNight: Bread & Roses

Join us for a docUNight in UN City Copenhagen featuring the upcoming documentary 'Bread & Roses' – a film capturing the plight of Afghan women and girls 3 years after Taliban’s takeover, highlighting the pervasive impacts of discriminatory policies on their lives.

Produced by Sahra Mani, Jennifer Lawrence, Malala Yousafzai, Justine Ciarrocchi, and Farhad Khosravi, 'Bread & Roses' offers a powerful window into the seismic impact that the fall of Kabul to the Taliban in 2021 had on women’s rights and livelihoods.

As part of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, join us in fostering dialogue about violence against women in Afghanistan, their challenges and needs.

Run time: 90 minutes

Language: English and Arabic (with English subtitles)

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IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Please bring a valid photo-ID to get through security at UN City and set aside time for the security check prior to the event.

Please note that the check-in will open at 16:00 and close at 16:50.

Please DO NOT book tickets under your name for someone else – please reserve each ticket under each person's name due to the security check upon entry to UN City.

Refreshments (soft drinks and snacks) will be available for purchase between 16:00–17:00. Please note that it is not allowed to bring your own food to UN City with the exception of water bottles.

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Programme

17:00 Welcome Remarks

• Barbara Rijks – Sub-regional Coordinator for the Nordic Countries, IOM (International Organization for Migration)
• Caroline Rusten – Chief of Public Partnerships & Director of the Nordic Liaison Office, UN Women

17:10 Screening of 'Bread & Roses'

18:40 Panel Discussion: 'Fighting the Erasure of Women in Afghanistan'

• Sahra Mani – Director of 'Bread & Roses'
• Khalida Popal – Founder & Director of the Girl Power Organization and Programme & Event Director of Afghanistan's Women's National Football Team
• moderated by Noa Valentin Katz Søgaard – Head of UN City Communications

19:30 Closing Remarks

• Ulla Müller – Director of the UNFPA Nordic Representation Office

19:40 End of event

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About the Film:

The documentary film 'Bread & Roses' follows three women in real time as they fight to recover their autonomy. Sharifa, an ex-government worker confined to her home; Zahra who continues activist work from her dental practice; and Taranom who sought refuge in Pakistan. A moving portrayal of strength amid struggle, this acclaimed Cannes Film Festival documentary shines a light on their resilience.

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About the Panel Discussion:

The panel discussion – 'Fighting the Erasure of Women in Afghanistan – will delve into the Taliban's takeover three years ago and its impact on the rights and status of Afghan women and girls. Panellists, Sahra Mani and Khalida Popal, will explore the actions taken since 2021 and examine what can be done now to safeguard Afghan women's dignity, work, and privacy.

About Sahra Mani:

Sahra Mosawi-Mani is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, university lecturer, and founder of the Afghanistan Documentary House. She began working in media in 2001 with the goal of using media as a catalyst for good. She holds a Master's degree in documentary filmmaking from the University of the Arts London and has since focused on creating documentaries about her own country, Afghanistan. Her films include Kaloo School (2013), Beyond the Burka (2014), and A Thousand Girls Like Me (2018).

About Khalida Popal:

Khalida Popal is the Founder & Director of the Girl Power Organization, Programme and Event Director of Afghanistan's Women's National Football Team, Ambassador to Street Child World Cup, and Event Manager & Mentor/ Refugee Consultant in COLUM. She is also the former leader of Afghanistan's Women's Football Committee, former Finance Officer of the Afghanistan Football Federation, former captain of the Afghan women's national football team, and former football coach of the under-17 and under-15 women's football teams in Afghanistan.

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Special Exhibition:

To showcase the myriad struggles and resilience of Afghan women in the aftermath of the Taliban takeover in 2021, IOM and UN Women developed a joint photo exhibition comprising a selection of powerful photographs of women in Afghanistan, which will be shown in the lobby of UN City Copenhagen Campus 1 from 25 November to 10 December 2024.

The exhibition – – has already done the rounds in March 2024 at the United Nations Office in Geneva to mark International Women’s Day and at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, during the first week of the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women.

These stories and images capture the hardships that so many Afghan women are experiencing, but they also bring hope in their remarkable strength and resilience, as they find their own unique ways to resist.

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About the Situation in Afghanistan:

Afghanistan is beset with overlapping crises linked to and compounded by deepening gender inequalities. Since Taliban's return to power in August 2021, at least 70 decrees, directives, and practices target the lives, bodies, and choices of women and girls, who are facing restrictions, including on access to public spaces, employment, reproductive rights and maternal health, mental health, education, and participation in public and political life.

On 21 August 2024, the Taliban issued a new edict banning women’s voices and bare faces in the public. The mounting women’s rights crisis challenges progress on all Sustainable Development Goals. Despite this dire situation, and the erasure of women from society, Afghan women show an unwavering and growing resolve, from the simple act of leaving their homes to continuing to run businesses and organise communities to meet essential needs and pursue equality.

The already dire situation for women in Afghanistan has been compounded by humanitarian crises. Hundreds of thousands of Afghans have been forced to return from Pakistan to Afghanistan after a decree was issued by the Government of Pakistan in November 2023, of whom an estimated 80% were women and children (UN Women, 2023). Many of these were able to work and or have an education in Pakistan. Since then, there have been over 679,000 returnees recorded up to 27 July 2024 (IOM, 2024).

After decades of conflict, instability, and economic crisis, Afghanistan will struggle to absorb the high number of returning families, many of whom have not lived in the country for decades, if ever. With over 6 million people already internally displaced throughout the country (IOM, 2023), Afghans returning from Pakistan face a precarious, uncertain future, especially women and girls who find themselves marginalised and excluded from public life, work, and education in their home country.

About 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence:

The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence, from 25 November to 10 December 2024, is a global campaign that highlights violence against women as a critical human rights issue.

Why We Must Eliminate Violence Against Women

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) remains largely unreported due to the impunity, silence, stigma, and shame surrounding it. In general terms, it manifests itself in physical, sexual, and psychological forms, encompassing:

• intimate partner violence (battering, psychological abuse, marital rape, femicide);
• sexual violence and harassment (rape, forced sexual acts, unwanted sexual advances, child sexual abuse, forced marriage, street harassment, stalking, cyber- harassment);
• human trafficking (slavery, sexual exploitation);
• female genital mutilation; and
• child marriage.

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About UN Women:

UN Women (the UN organisation for gender equality and the empowerment of women) supports UN member states in their efforts to achieve gender equality and strengthen women's rights. UN Women was founded to accelerate progress for girls and women, addressing their needs worldwide. The agency also coordinates and promotes the UN system’s work to advance gender equality. UN Women supports UN member countries in setting global standards for achieving gender equality. The agency also works with governments and civil society to develop laws, policies, programs, and services necessary to ensure the effective implementation of these standards, benefiting women and girls around the world.

The agency works globally to make the vision of the Sustainable Development Goals a reality for women and girls. UN Women advocates for women's equal participation in all aspects of life and focuses primarily on four key areas:

• Leadership and political participation
• Economic empowerment and independence
• Gender-based violence
• Peace, security, and humanitarian action.

UN Women’s Nordic Office is in UN City Copenhagen. The office works with resource mobilisation and strategic partnerships in the Nordic region to engage partners and secure funding for UN Women's work on gender equality.

About IOM:

Established in 1951, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is the leading intergovernmental organisation in the field of migration and is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. IOM is part of the United Nations system, as a related organisation.

IOM supports migrants across the world, developing effective responses to the shifting dynamics of migration and, as such, is a key source of advice on migration policy and practice. The organisation works in emergency situations, developing the resilience of all people on the move, and particularly those in situations of vulnerability, as well as building capacity within governments to manage all forms and impacts of mobility.

Denmark has been a member state of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) since 1954. In 2024, the office became a Country Office for Partnership and Advocacy and a Coordination Function, leading IOM’s liaison and coordination with strategic partners in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.This enables IOM to strengthen collaboration with and between partners in the Nordic countries on areas of mutual interest and increase their knowledge and understanding of IOM’s strategies and work globally.

About UNFPA:

UNFPA is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. UFNPA's mission is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled.

UNFPA promotes gender equality and empowers women, girls and young people to take control of their bodies and their futures. It works with partners in more than 150 countries to provide access to a wide range of sexual and reproductive health services. UNFPA's goal is ending unmet need for family planning, preventable maternal death, and gender-based violence and harmful practices, including child marriage and female genital mutilation by 2030.

The UNFPA Nordic Representation Office in UN City Copenhagen works with Nordic partners, advocating for continued financial and political support for sexual and reproductive health and rights.

About UN City Copenhagen:

UN City Copenhagen is a hub for the Sustainable Development Goals. It comprises 2 campuses. Campus 1 on Marmormolen opened in July 2013 and today houses 10 UN organisations with 1,700+ staff members from 100+ different countries. Campus 2, located in the container port in the Northern Harbour of Copenhagen, constitutes UNICEF’s state-of-the-art high bay warehouse. With a total storage capacity of 36,000 pallets, it is the largest humanitarian warehouse in the world.

UN City has become a hub where agencies can collaborate, share knowledge, and work with experts from different fields.

Learn more about UN City Copenhagen.

Host or Publisher UN City