Since their takeover a year ago, the Taliban have squeezed Afghan women out of public life, imposing suffocating restrictions on where they can work, how they can travel, and what they can wear. There is hardly a woman in the country who has not lost a male relative in successive wars, while many of their husbands, fathers, sons and brothers have also lost their jobs or seen their income shattered as a result of a deepening economic crisis. This portrait series taken in Kabul, Kandahar and Herat provinces show Afghan women who are determined to continue working and studying under the brutal regime, as they speak about their experiences since the takeover as well as future hopes and dreams.

Award of Excellence

One Year On: The Women Determined to Work in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan

Lillian Suwanrumpha
Agence France-Presse
Thailand

Lillian Suwanrumpha is a Thai photographer who has been based in Bangkok for Agence France-Presse since 2016.

[ PORTRAIT SERIES ] A series of photographs that reflects a strong sense of identity or narrative. Respect for the dignity of the person is important. Submissions do not have to adhere to documentary principles. Alternate processes and digital manipulations are allowed. Each submission consists of 5 to 10 images. Each participant is allowed to enter up to 3 submissions. All images must be taken in 2022.

Judges for Portrait Series
Sandipa Malakar
Willy Kurniawan
Zhou Yang
Ki-Ho Park
Suzanne Lee
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