World Press Freedom Day 2017

Laura Boushnak is a Palestinian photographer born in Kuwait, and currently based in Sarajevo. Her work focuses on women, literacy and education reform in the Arab world. For her ongoing series ‘I Read, I Write’, Boushnak photographed girls and women in several Arab countries, bringing attention to the barriers women face in accessing education, and the role of literacy in improving their lives. After completing a BA in sociology at the Lebanese University, Boushnak began her photography career covering news for the Associated Press in Lebanon. She later worked as a photo editor and photographer for Agence France-Presse (AFP) at its Middle East hub in Cyprus and its headquarters in Paris. Her nine-year wire service experience included covering hard news in conflicts such as the war in Iraq and the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war. Since 2008 Laura has been working as an independent photographer, giving more time to her long-term projects. Her work has been published and exhibited around the world. In 2014, Boushnak was awarded the first Getty Images/ lean-in editorial grant. She is a 2014 TED Global Fellow. In 2013 she was the overall winner of the Terry O’neil Photography award in the UK, and received two honorable mention in the UNICEF photo award.