AFGHANISTAN. Farah: The ‘Voice of Women’ radio has begun its broadcasting this week after it was established a month ago in the city of Farah. In Farah, very few women take part in social affairs.
Zubaida Nasri, the head of ‘The Voice of Women’ radio said that the existence of violence against women motivated her to think about establishing this radio.
Unlike the Afghanistan major cities, Farah has seen fewer improvements in women’s engagement in social affairs. The high presence of Taliban and other militant groups in all districts of the province has hindered the growth of social activities in the provinces.
Efforts to reduce women’s problems
“Women have less knowledge about their rights in Farah province, ” Nasri said, adding that most of them are facing grave violence. “We want to reduce these problems with this radio [The Women’s Voice].”
The launch of this radio also opened employment opportunities for few women, according to Nasri.
“Due to the traditional and radical presences of patriarchal norms, women can’t grow sufficiently in Afghanistan, ” Fatima (Anonymous), a journalist from Herat said.
According to The Women’s Voice Radio, the media priority is to inform women about their basic rights and informing the government about their demands.
The radio will also cover educational, cultural, scientific, social, and economic issues. Fariba Sharifi, founder, and the general manager of the radio said this will be a positive step in women’s lives.
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Boosting women’s rights
“From now on, the women can themselves raise their voices to fight gender inequality with their media and present their demands to the government,” she said.
Eight women and four men work in this radio, but the security issues still make a barrier on the path of women struggling to make jobs. Kubra Azimi, head of Farah Women’s Affairs told Afghanistan Women’s News Agency that the establishment of this media will be a door-way to the promotion of women’s rights and will be productive.
This radio with 99.6 FM will play on air in seven districts of Farah daily and is the second established media by women among nine media outlets in Farah.
According to Afghan Journalists Safety Committee, there has been an 18 percent decline in the number of female media workers in Afghanistan for the past six months.
