KABUL (SW) – Women journalists and media professionals say they are finding themselves caught between rock and a hard place amid severe economic and psychological challenges they have been facing since the past three years.
The exclusive report prepared by Salam Watandar features discussions with 20 female journalists from Kabul and various provinces of Afghanistan, all of whom have been out of work since the regime change.
Among them are 6 journalists from Kabul, 2 from Bamyan, 4 from Balkh, 3 from Jowzjan, 2 from Kunduz, 2 from Samangan, and 1 from Kapisa province. They have collectively expressed frustration with their struggles with economic hardships and mental health issues, particularly highlighting the stress faced by independent women who once supported others around them.
Arezo Weda, a woman with nearly two decades of experience in media, cinema, and theater, shared her dire situation. After three years of unemployment, she has sold off her office equipment to cover living and medical expenses. However, she now faces the challenge of having nothing left to sell and lacks funds for basic necessities.
With a choked voice filled with sorrow, she recounted: “I even started cooking in people’s homes and selling pens on the streets, but my ongoing health issues have made it impossible for me to continue.”
“A day when I was outside selling pens, suddenly I felt a shock and fell to the ground. My condition was extremely bad; I could barely manage to ask one of our neighbors, who called me ‘sister,’ to take me to the doctor. The doctor said I had a stomach ulcer. On one side was my illness, on another were economic problems, and house rent; I was utterly overwhelmed,” Arezo shared.
Arezo, who has recently begun to recover with the help of friends, stated that her treatment needs to continue and that she may need to travel to Pakistan or India for further care. Yet, she currently struggles to provide for herself and her family, saying: “My situation has greatly affected my spirit; I have unbearable pain and face numerous challenges. There is nothing in our house, and in the meantime, the landlord comes every evening for the rent, and the month is almost over. I owe ten months’ rent; I owe 18,000 afghanis to the bakery and about 9,000 afghanis to the shopkeeper. However, I still have not lost hope in God.”
Similarly, Lida Mubarez, who has worked in media for 15 years in Jowzjan, said that her unemployment has led to depression and anxiety, impacting her husband’s mental health as well. “I feel ashamed to ask for help from my family and close friends,” she said. “I suffer greatly from psychological problems; sometimes I think about ending my life to escape this pain, but I have two children to care for.”
Among the 20 women interviewed, several expressed a complete loss of hope, feeling insignificant and questioning their purpose in life. Gul Jan Mohaqeq, a journalist from Bamyan, says that before the regime change, she worked for five years in media, but now she cannot continue. “I feel like I no longer matter in society and have become isolated.”
Gul Jan says that she lost his father, and is the breadwinner of her family of eight. She has been the only supporter of her brothers and sisters. “My unemployment has caused economic and psychological problems not only for me, but all my family members.”
Another journalist, Nilofar Nilgoon from Jowzjan who is now jobless, said: “We faced numerous problems, and our family’s economy has nearly collapsed. Our income has dropped to zero, severely impacting our mental well-being.”
Matwa Kabir, head of the Gender Department at the Afghan Journalists Safety Committee, remarked that the presence of women in Afghan media has declined due to difficult economic conditions and the shutdown of some media outlets. She highlighted that many journalists, especially women, are facing unemployment and financial challenges, and assured that the committee has taken the necessary measures to reduce the unemployment of women in the media.
Sayed Yasin Matin, founder and head of the Afghan National Journalists House, announced that they have conducted health and wellness workshops in Ghazni and Kabul. “We recognize that many of our colleagues, especially women, are unemployed, and we are working diligently to address these issues. We contacted the authorities and national and international institutions about these problems, and to some extent we provided individual assistance, and these are our plans,” he said.
On the psychological front, psychologist Sayed Esmat Hashemi noted a significant increase in female clients suffering from depression and anxiety. “Many young women complain of feeling hopeless and are often in tears,” he explained.
Attempts to gather perspectives from officials at the Ministry of Information and Culture were unsuccessful.
This report highlights that since the regime change, government orders and economic challenges have led to the closure of several media outlets, leaving many female journalists unemployed and confined to their homes.
