Category: Afghanistan

Under the Taliban regime, at least 52 per cent of visual media outlets have ceased operations in Afghanistan over the past two years…reports Asian Lite News

The Afghanistan Women Journalist Association (AWJA) has conducted a survey about the situation of women journalists in Afghanistan within the past two years, wherein a majority of them said that “unemployment is one of their biggest challenges”, as reported by TOLO News.

Meena Habib, the head of AWJA said, “45 per cent of the participants said that unemployment is the biggest challenge ahead of women journalists.”

“Five per cent of the participants are talking about the poverty of women journalists, while 10 per cent of the participants said lack of access to information is the biggest challenge for women journalists,” she said.

Moreover, some of the media-supporting organisations called on the Taliban to provide women journalists with all-out support, according to TOLO News.

“We call on the Islamic Emirate to help women as much as it can in the fields of education, work and facilities,” Taj Mohammad Ahmadzada, one of the members of the AWJA, said.

The women journalists in Afghanistan also expressed their concerns about facing an uncertain future and emphasised that they are struggling with the working environment.

“In many conferences, wherever women are invited, we go there but we face double standards. The security forces do not allow women to enter the conference,” Hajar Jafari, a journalist, said.

“Females are facing many challenges compared to males. Women cannot get access to proper information in press conferences,” said Marriam Madadi, another journalist.

Under the Taliban regime, at least 52 per cent of visual media outlets have ceased operations in Afghanistan over the past two years, Khaama Press reported.

The Media Support for Afghanistan’s Free Media (NAI) recently announced that more than half of the visual media outlets in the country have remained inactive.

After the Taliban took control of Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, press freedom in the country has taken a backseat, with several restrictions put into place for journalists.

Moreover, according to local media reports, after the political change in the country, 94 per cent of women journalists have become unemployed due to restrictions on their work. (ANI)

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UN Women and the UN Office of Drug Control issue joint statement on incarcerated women in Afghanistan….reports Asian Lite News

Highlighting the situation of Afghan women in prisons in a recent report, the United Nations has said that the women who are under confinement are having a detrimental impact on their health, Khaama Press reported.

Representatives from the Office of Drug Control and Crime Prevention and the Women’s Division of the United Nations have emphasised the detrimental impact of incarceration on the lives of women in Afghanistan, including those who are both incarcerated and struggling with substance addiction. They have underscored the need to address the negative consequences of imprisonment, both during and after confinement, for women in the country.

On Monday, the United Nations Women’s Agency released a joint statement with the Office of Drug Control and Crime Prevention of the United Nations regarding the situation of incarcerated women in Afghanistan.

Writing in Khaama Press, author Tabassum Nasiry underlined that the joint statement emphasises their common concern and commitment to improving the circumstances of women in Afghan jails.

The report has been released following discussions between Alison Davidian, the United Nations Special Representative for Women and Anubha Sood, the Representative of the Office of Drug Control and Crime Prevention, regarding incarcerated women in Kabul.

According to the survey, the majority of jailed women in Afghanistan express concerns about their children’s future and the impact on their families, prompting them to seek chances to learn new skills in order to support themselves and their families, Nasiry wrote.

The UN Women’s Division and the Office of Drug Control and Crime Prevention highlighted feelings of insecurity within prisons and worsening mental and physical health conditions, social ostracization due to their status as prisoners, and long-term effects on their children, according to Khaama Press.

The declaration intends to give jailed women and those moving from drug treatment programmes protection, vital healthcare treatments, and reintegration assistance.

The UN Special Representative for Women emphasised the organisation’s objective of ensuring that jailed women get support both during their incarceration and after their release in order to encourage their engagement in society, Khaama Press reported.

More than two years have passed since the Taliban banned girls from studying beyond sixth grade in Afghanistan, and there is no sign of reopening the schools to girls studying above sixth grade.

Since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021, they have issued several decrees that impose restrictions on women. Afghanistan’s women have faced numerous challenges since the Taliban returned to power. Girls and women in the war-torn country have no access to education, employment and public spaces. (ANI)

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After the Taliban took control of Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, press freedom in the country has taken a backseat, with several restrictions put into place for journalists….reports Asian Lite News

Under the Taliban regime, at least 52 per cent of visual media outlets have ceased operations in Afghanistan over the past two years, Khaama Press reported.

The Media Support for Afghanistan’s Free Media (NAI) announced on Tuesday, coinciding with World Television Day, highlighting that more than half of the visual media outlets in the country have remained inactive.

The NAI has expressed its deep concern about the state of media, especially visual media, and has called for the support of national and international institutions in addressing the media crisis, the Khaama Press said.

After the Taliban took control of Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, press freedom in the country has taken a backseat, with several restrictions put into place for journalists.

Moreover, according to local media reports, after the political change in the country, 94 per cent of women journalists have become unemployed due to restrictions on their work.

Meanwhile, according to a survey undertaken by the NAI, at least 77 television stations out of 147 visual media outlets have suspended operations owing to “economic challenges,” reported Khaama Press.

In order to prevent the destruction of the media outlets, NAI has encouraged interim government authorities to examine taxation and financial guarantees.

Lack of access to information has been one of the main challenges for journalists in Afghanistan since the Taliban took control of the country in August 2021.

The ever-increasing restrictions against media in Afghanistan have also drawn widespread criticism globally with the United Nations (UN) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) decrying the arrests, demanding the Taliban stop harassing local journalists and stifling freedom of speech through continued detentions and threats.

Since the Taliban took over Afghanistan, it rolled back women’s rights advances and media freedom revoking the efforts on gender equality and freedom of speech in the country. (ANI)

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Pakistan ordered undocumented foreigners, including Afghans residing in Pakistan, to leave the country by a deadline of 1 November this year….reports Asian Lite News

The UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk said on Wednesday that he was alarmed by reports that the arbitrary expulsion of Afghan nationals from Pakistan has been accompanied by abuse, including ill-treatment, arbitrary arrests and detention, destruction of property and personal belongings, and extortion, said UN Human Rights Office in a press statement.

Pakistan ordered undocumented foreigners, including Afghans residing in Pakistan, to leave the country by a deadline of 1 November this year. Between 15 September and 11 November, over 327,000 people have arrived in Afghanistan from Pakistan, many compelled to leave out of fear of arrest.

As per the official press statement, despite Pakistani authorities having issued a Government-wide circular stating that individuals in possession of Proof of Registration (PoR) and Afghan Citizen Cards could only be repatriated on a voluntary basis at this time, the UN Human Rights Office has received complaints that, at least in some cases, this has been disregarded. These cards have been issued by the Government of Pakistan with the support of the UN refugee agency, and PoR card holders are Government-recognized refugees.

“These new developments are at variance with Pakistan’s decades-long tradition of hosting, generously, Afghan refugees in vast numbers,” Turk said.

The UN Human Rights Office has received first-hand accounts from Afghans crossing the border who allege they were subjected to arbitrary treatment or abuse by Pakistan authorities.

According to the UN statement, one person said, “The local police conducted a night raid on our home. They confiscated cash, jewellery, goats, sheep and other items from our home and took them. They gave us just a few hours to collect the remaining stuff and leave the home by that day at dawn. As we were leaving, a bulldozer began to destroy our home. We felt very helpless and left the village with eyes full of tears.”

“Many Afghans are arriving with very few financial resources, having been forced to leave their homes and jobs, in addition to being forced to pay bribes or having their possessions seized,” Turk said. “In the current context of Afghanistan, this is exacerbating an already precarious humanitarian situation.”

In some instances reported to UN Human Rights, Afghans have been arbitrarily arrested and detained in Pakistan, with some alleging ill-treatment.

According to the press statement, “Arbitrary arrests and detentions are contrary to Pakistan’s obligations under international law,” Turk added. “The right to liberty of a person is a fundamental right guaranteed to everyone without discrimination, including all migrants, irrespective of status. Immigration detention should be a last resort, and not used to compel return, and should be avoided completely in the case of children and other vulnerable groups.”

Women and girls arriving in Afghanistan are particularly vulnerable. The de facto authorities’ policies and edicts mean that they will be prevented from continuing their education beyond grade six, from working in most sectors, from accessing parks and other public spaces, and will face other broad restrictions on their participation in daily and public life.

“Pakistan must ensure protection for individuals who may face persecution, torture, ill-treatment or other irreparable harm in Afghanistan, in accordance with the principle of non-refoulement,” Turk said. “This includes Afghan women and girls, former government officials and security personnel, ethnic and religious minorities, human rights defenders and civil society activists and media workers.

“The de facto authorities, as the duty bearers of Afghanistan’s international human rights obligations, are obliged to ensure that such individuals are not targeted in Afghanistan after their arrival.”

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights renewed his appeal to the Government of Pakistan to suspend the Afghan return programme until individual assessment procedures and other safeguards required by international law are in place, and to investigate complaints of abuse by law enforcement officers. (ANI)

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