Female journalists in Afghanistan brave danger
“I have been threatened by the Taliban, corrupt authorities, warlords and even the government. But none of these threats will ever stop me from what I do.” – Mahsa, Afghan journalist. IMS highlights the plight of Afghanistan’s female journalists on International Women’s Day
Life for women in Afghanistan has never been easy. But being a woman and choosing to work as a journalist in an environment where media workers are already targeted for their profession, seems almost incomprehensible. But not for two young Afghan women whose will to change circumstances not only for women in their country, but also to provide a voice for other minority voices in Afghan society, drives their desire to work as journalists.
In an interview with IMS, Fareiba and Ara explain what motivated them to take on the public role of a journalist which challenges ingrained gender stereotypes of what’s acceptable for women to do or not in one of the world’s most dangerous countries to be a woman.
Cause outweighs the risks
Despite her young age, Fareiba has worked for seven years as a journalist at the independent Afghan TV station Tolo TV. Along with her TV work, many of her articles are widely published on the internet, making her a public persona. But Fareiba is not swayed by the risks involved in speaking out.
“I have been threatened by the Taliban, corrupt authorities, warlords and even the government. But none of these threats will ever stop me from what I do.
“I work as a journalist because I wish to raise the voices of the underprivileged members of Afghan society to reach the authorities of our country. Through my work I want to fight against corruption and improve the lives of people. I want to fight against injustice, and make the population aware of their rights,” she explains.
Cultural barriers and taboos
According to Fareiba, the biggest problem faced by both women and men in the journalism trade in Afghanistan is insecurity and lawlessness. In addition to this, women must deal with cultural taboos and people are unwilling to allow women to work in the media.
“Despite all these factors, women have kept on fighting and the number of women working in Afghan media increases every day. Working alongside other women and bringing women justice gives me the energy to work harder,” she says.
Late nights at the office a danger factor
Ara, a mid-twenties female reporter shares the conviction of her fellow journalist colleague. She sees herrole as a journalist focusing on social issues as a way to raise awareness of violence against women, a problem in Afghanistan.
“I think female journalists can understand the problems faced by women and people in society better [than men],” she says.
“The problem is that little value is given to work done by female media workers. But I am learning to use social media where I can find more friends in my profession with whom I can share my experiences,” she says.
According to Ara, the main challenge for female journalists in Afghanistan is about being able to move about safely in the war-torn country to get reports. Not only this, but the mere journey home from a late night at the office is in itself perilous and a cause for great distress.
“Sometimes when I have to work hard and stay late in the office, my organisation says there are no cars to take me and ask me to take public buses or take a taxi home by myself. On these days I pray for Allah to help me all the way home, as on these nights I have encountered much danger.”
Committee protects female journalists
Three female journalists have been killed in the past seven years in Afghanistan and dozens have been intimidated to stop working. For both Fareiba and Ara, the non-political entity Afghan Journalists Safety Committee (AJSC) based in Kabul has been a place to which they can turn for emergency assistance when faced with serious threats or other security-related issues. The IMS-supported Committee also provides conflict sensitive journalism training to improve the journalists’ ability to cover the country’s on-going conflict in a responsible, neutral manner.
“With the AJSC, I know there is an organisation that will listen to me and will try to solve the problems I face and this makes me feel a little more safe,” says Ara.
While female representation in Afghan media remains low, women such as Fareiba and Ara who brave hardship to instigate change through journalism, are showing the way for other women of their generation. Read more about the plight of female Afghan journalists here.
