Once silenced voices, today female journalists play an important role in informing the public, holding government officials accountable, and promoting human rights and women’s rights. They have become an anchor of hope to the nation and the voice to the voiceless women. Female journalists’ courage and dedication in practicing their profession in Afghanistan, which was deemed the 2nd most dangerous country for journalists in 2016, deserves recognition and appreciation.
To honor the efforts and dedication of female journalists, the Afghan Journalists Safety Committee (AJSC), on the occasion of March 8, International Women’s Day, is organizing events for female journalists in Kabul, Balkh, Nangarhar, Faryab, Samangan, and Jawzjan provinces of Afghanistan. In these events, AJSC awards more than 200 female journalists appreciation certificates, flowers, and diaries. The event in Nangarhar took place today, Kabul event will be organized on March 9 and the events in the remaining provinces will be held on the 11th of March. The events will be live streamed through AJSC’s Facebook page, Afghan Journalists Safety Committee.
As part of its mandate, AJSC attaches high importance to strengthening the standing and capabilities of women in Afghanistan’s media. To this end, AJSC has undertaken many initiatives; from appointing female coordinators in Kabul and provinces to facilitate a mechanism for addressing female journalists problems, to carrying out research studies, capacity building programs and advocacy efforts.
“Empowering and protecting female journalists are among the core organizational values of the Safety Committee and its staff. We believe empowered female journalists can play a crucial role in promoting women’s rights and exposing challenges women face, including violence against women that is so pervasive in Afghanistan. In the past 15 years, the relentless efforts of female journalists in highlighting violence against women have revealed incidences of violence against women from the remotest parts of the country”, said Najib Sharifi, Director of AJSC.
AJSC is Afghanistan’s premier journalists support organization, which works towards creating a safe working environment for journalists. AJSC’s multi-dimensional approach to promoting journalists’ safety has allowed the organization to create the world’s first most comprehensive safety mechanism. AJSC supports journalists through the provision of emergency support, legal assistance, psychosocial support, capacity building, advocacy, and research. AJSC maintains the most comprehensive database of media workers in Afghanistan, which allows the organization to quickly identify and provide support to media workers in need in times of crisis. AJSC is unique in its approach and has been used as a model for journalist safety mechanisms in countries including Iraq, Pakistan, and Somalia.
For more information, please email info@ajsc.af or call at +93 702 502 087.