The week, sponsored by the Carolina Women's Center and several other campus groups will include many speakers, workshops and interactive events.
Writer and journalist Jan Goodwin's Thursday speech, which drew about 20 listeners, was sponsored by the curriculum in women's studies.
Goodwin first went to Afghanistan in 1985 on an assignment to write an article on women in war. She entered the country not quite believing the atrocities she had heard about the treatment of women but left with a different opinion.
"I kept realizing that this was not just an article," Goodwin said. "After you go, it's a very special county with very special people. It's very hard to walk away."
She spent most of her time discussing the country of Afghanistan after the downfall of the Taliban regime, with an emphasis on the repression of Afghan women.
Goodwin described a common misconception among Americans that the people of Afghanistan are now free and women have the rights they deserve.
In reality, the country remains violent and poverty-stricken, and women continue to lack basic rights, she said.
For example, government officials finally allowed for a women's ministry -- but they refuse to provide funding, a staff or a building. The leader of the women's ministry has received several death threats and lacks the resources to even afford access to e-mail, Goodwin said.
Goodwin also addressed the role of the United States in the rise of the Taliban. "We helped create the Taliban indirectly," Goodwin said. "We support these despotic machines."
