In the year that has passed since the Taliban’s takeover in Afghanistan we have seen daily and continuous deterioration in the situation of Afghan women and girls. This has spanned every aspect of their human rights, from living standards to social and political status. It has been a year of increasing disrespect for their right to live free and equal lives, denying them opportunity to livelihoods, access to health care and education, and escape from situations of violence.
Kokogul remembers the recent flood which cost her everything, standing in her tent in Kabul’s slums. Photo: Ingebjørg Kårstad/Norwegian Refugee Council
Statement by Neil Turner, the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Country Director, on the one-year mark of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan:
“We have witnessed shocking levels of poverty and suffering in Afghanistan over the past year. The economic restrictions imposed on the country and the unwillingness of both the de facto authorities and the international community to effectively engage with one another have pushed millions of Afghans into despair.
Children from drought-affected households play outside of Qaydaradey IDP camp in Baidoa. Photo: Abdulkadir Mohamed/NRC
A devastating drought in Somalia has reached unprecedented levels, as the one millionth person displaced by the drought was registered this week.
More than 755,000 people have been internally displaced in Somalia because of the severe drought this year, bringing the total figure to 1 million people since January 2021 when the drought began, according to displacement figures released today by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).
Finland’s top fashion event, Helsinki Fashion Week, returns this month with a crucial message about the importance of sustainability in the industry. Since its inception, Helsinki Fashion Week has blazed a trail championing ethical fashion, including its landmark decision to ban leather from its catwalks from 2019 – a move for which it received worldwide praise. As a keynote speaker at this year’s event, I will be highlighting the reasons why we at PETA urged the organisers to make this change and why it’s time the rest of the fashion world followed their compassionate lead.
NRC staff assess flood damage in Barmal district of Paktika province. Photo: NRC assessment team
Statement by Neil Turner, the Norwegian Refugee Council’s (NRC) Country Director, on the situation in severely flood-hit Afghan provinces:
“This year’s unseasonal flooding is catastrophic for impacted communities in Afghanistan. The scale of destruction is unparalleled. Flash floods have swept away entire sections of roads and other critical infrastructure - bridges, wheat mills, hospitals and schools. People have lost their businesses, and the entire families have seen their homes and acres of farmland destroyed.
Homes of internally displaced people demolished in Kabul. Photo: Ingebjørg Kårstad/NRC
Up to half a million families in Afghanistan are now facing the prospect of homelessness following increasing pressure from the authorities to return internally displaced people to their areas of origin. Decades of conflict, droughts, political instability and economic collapse have driven displaced Afghans into enclaves around bigger cities that over time have grown into slum-like settlements.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is once again the world’s most neglected displacement crisis according to the Norwegian Refugee Council’s (NRC) annual analysis. For the first time, the top 10 list is comprised entirely of African countries.
The European Union is putting Palestinian lives at risk as it continues to delay disbursement of aid to vital sectors in the occupied Palestinian territory.
A large portion of EU funding committed to Palestine, valued at nearly €215 million, has been delayed since 2021 as the European Union continues to condition the release of the money on specific changes to Palestinian school textbooks.
Ukrainian refugees from 2022, crossing into Poland.
The number of people forced to flee conflict, violence, human rights violations and persecution has now crossed the staggering milestone of 100 million for the first time on record, propelled by the war in Ukraine and other deadly conflicts.
American newspapers in the 18th and 19th centuries contained tens of thousands of notices placed by slaveholders attempting to capture the people who had escaped from them. In her dissertation in the field of English studies, Susanna Mäkinen examined the language and structuring of these notices. The study showed that, while the basic features of the notices remained relatively unchanged, there were some differences between various areas and changes in time.
Sana'a airport which has been closed in front of commercial flights since 2016. Photo: Nasser Abdulkareem/NRC
Every child should be living free from violence. With the impact of the Covid 19 pandemic, increasing migration, and conflicts, this reality has grown to an even greater dimension putting many families under immense pressure. Today, on the occasion of the International Day of Families, the World Future Council launches its new policy handbook for advancing institutional child protection using the One-Stop Centre model (OSC).
THE31st HELSINKI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, also referred to as Rakkautta & Anarkiaa (Love & Anarchy), came to a close on Sunday, having drawn in record breaking numbers. This year’s film festival attracted more than 60,000 visitors and featured almost 500 screenings.
The numbers reveal how the festival’s popularity continues to grow, this year one out of every four screenings was sold out.
The festival brings together films and filmmakers from all over the world. This year’s honorary guest was none other than Spike Lee, who came to present his latest film, BlacKkKlansman. In addition to the screening of his Cannes Grand Prix-winning film, his 1989 film Do the Right Thing was presented in combination with a Masterclass on September 22 at the newly renovated Korjaamo Kino Bio Rex theatre.
Other guests included Australian director Stephan Elliott, known for his film Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, who returned to HIFF to present his latest film Swinging Safari, a satire of Australian suburbia set in the 1970s. Actor Shia La Beouf also featured on this year’s list of guests presenting #TakeMeAnywhere, a documentary produced by art collective La Beouf, Rönkkö and Turner. The film documents the trio’s digital road trip where strangers were invited to pick up the artists from coordinates posted on the project’s website and take them to a location of their choosing. German-French-Iranian director Emily Atef also visited the festival to present her film, 3 Days in Quiberon, a depiction of actress Romy Scheider’s final interview.
Local talent was also celebrated during the festival. Finnish films that were featured at the festival included Selma Vilhunen’sStupid Young Heart (2018), Anna Eriksson’sM (2018), and Teemu Nikki’sEuthanizer (2017). Finnish actress, Laura Birn, won this year’s Nordic Flair Award, an award granted to those who have helped draw international attention to Nordic talent.
The festival also features an industry sidebar, Finnish Film Affair, which presents Finnish films to international buyers and journalists. This year’s winner of the Best Pitch Award, given to works in progress, was Tuffi Films’ One-Off Incident, a project directed by 15 female writers and directors.
To those who missed out on the festival – you still have a chance to catch some of the films featured. Yle will feature a selection of the festival’s films on its channels. In addition to this, the Love & Anarchy Tour will present the festival’s most popular films to selected locations including Turku, Kuopio, Joensuu and Vaasa.
MARIA TIMKO
Source: HIFF
Photo: Director Spike Lee included a masterclass in his visit to this year’s Love & Anarchy film festival
