Afghanistan: Radio For Peace International launches new programs against restrictions on women in the country

Afghanistan: Radio For Peace International launches new programs against restrictions on women in the country

Bordeaux, February 20, 2023

Radio For Peace International, an NGO and studio based in Gironde, reaffirms its support for women in Afghanistan by producing and broadcasting new programs in Farsi in collaboration with Afghan journalists who have remained in the country.

RFPI, which had already offered a series of programs in December 2022 centered on psychological assistance to Afghan women and the education of young girls in collaboration with Afghan journalists in exile, is partnering this time with Afghan journalists who have remained in the country.

Programs designed with Afghan journalists in Afghanistan itself

Produced by Afghan women journalists present in five different provinces of Afghanistan, the program "Tales of Afghan women", reflecting their condition in the country, is designed in Afghanistan itself by professionals, will then be exfiltrated to France via encryption tools and pseudonyms.

The programs will be available on the Internet and on shortwave 4 times a week. Once again, it is a question of combating the many restrictions imposed on the dignity and rights of Afghan women and girls. "Afghanistan needs information more than ever, the Taliban leaders have closed down all organizations that defend human rights, the media and intimidate journalists," underlines Jamila Karimi, Afghanistan broadcast project coordinator for RFPI.

For Sylvain Clament, president of RFPI. "The situation of freedom of information is catastrophic in Afghanistan, RFPI ensures a free and feminine voice in a country where obscurantism reigns". According to statistics from the Afghan Journalists Association, more than 170 radio stations are active in the country. Out of 1075 female journalists, only 163 have a job and only in Kabul the others are unemployed.

Two major media present in the country, the Voice of America and Radio Azadi, recently had their websites suspended, forcing these two media to broadcast 24 hours a day on short and medium waves. In addition, on February 12, the only women's radio station in Herat, Radio Sahar, was banned from broadcasting.

An essential project to offer a free voice to Afghanistan

If RFPI has decided to go further in its support for Afghan women, it is in particular because of the ban on women working as journalists in Afghanistan. The press is subjected to unprecedented violence by the Taliban regime, while freedom of information is a fundamental element for the persistence of democratic spaces. As Sylvain Clament, President of RFPI points out, "One of the fundamental points of our action is to offer a salary and a job to women journalists to ensure their autonomy and dignity".

The first broadcast will be broadcast on Tuesday, February 21, 2023. The broadcasts will initially be broadcast for a period of three months, 4 times a week on short wave and internet, Tuesdays and Thursdays on 15700 khz at 7 a.m. UT, Mondays and Saturdays at 11:45 a.m. UT on 15770 kHz and Sundays at 1 p.m. UT on 15770 Khz in the Farsi language throughout Afghanistan. These programs will also be available for streaming on the website www.rfpi.eu.

Field coordination is carried out in France by Afghan journalists. Sylvain Clament ensures the overall coordination of the project, and the broadcasting of the programs. The latter will be provided by the RFPI broadcaster in Bulgaria.

About RFPI

Since 2019, Radio For Peace International (RFPI https://www.rfpi.eu/) has been broadcasting on short waves a set of programs focused on human rights issues, particularly intended for crisis and conflict areas all over the world: Russia, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Iran, China…

Indeed, short waves are the only ones able to cover countries with very particular topography such as Afghanistan or to allow communication in war zones such as Ukraine currently.

Based in Gironde, the RFPI studio relies on a small and experienced team, which ensures the coordination of projects as well as the editing of programs in France. Finally, the programs are broadcast by WRMI (Radio Miami International) located in Florida and historical broadcaster of the radio since its beginnings and of several major international media such as Voice Of America, Radio Liberty. The second broadcaster is located in Bulgaria and allows us to cover all of Asia.

(Press Release)