Rukhshana Media
Rukhshana Media (Dari: رسانه رخشانه) is an Afghan women's media organisation[1] created in November 2020 in memory of Rukhshana,[2] a young woman stoned to death in 2015 in Ghor Province for having fled with a lover after a forced marriage.[3]
| رسانه رخشانه | |
| Types | news website  |
|---|---|
| Website | rukhshana |
Creation
Rukhshana Media was created in November 2020 by Zahra Joya to focus on stories by and about Afghan women. The name "Rukhshana" refers to a teenager from Ghor Province called Rukhshana who was accused of adultery and stoned to death in 2015.[2] A video of the lapidation circulated widely, gaining widespread international attention.[3] Rukhshana's killing was one of several cases of honour killings of women fleeing forced marriages or of women rape victims in Ghor Province in the mid 2010s.[4]
Themes
Themes published by Rukhshana Media include "women's reproductive health, domestic and sexual violence, and gender discrimination".[2] During the 2021 Taliban offensive, Rukhshana Media reported on expectations that the Taliban would violate women's rights[5] and that divorced women remaining single expected to be at risk from the Taliban.[6] In July 2021, Rukhshana Media together with Time and The Fuller Project reported on school being forbidden to "thousands" of girls in Taliban-occupied areas of Afghanistan, with teachers at girls' schools receiving death threats and being refused authorisation to teach. According to the report, only girls up to the age of 12 were allowed to attend school, they were required to wear niqābs or burqas, and the number of hours teaching the Quran was increased.[1]
Development
On 15 August 2021,[7] the date of the Fall of Kabul, Rukhshana Media announced its plans to launch a version of its news website in English, in addition to its existing Dari reports.[8]
Security risks
During the 2021 Taliban offensive, Rukhshana Media journalists were at risk, due to the high risk of assassination of female journalists.[2] Columbia Journalism Review described risks to Afghan journalists in general and women journalists in particular as remaining high following the 15 August 2021 fall of Kabul to Taliban forces.[9]
See also
References
- Alizada, Atefa; Ferris-Rotman, Amie (2021-07-07). "The U.S. Is Leaving Afghanistan, the Taliban Is Growing in Power, and Education for Girls and Women Is Already at Risk". Time. Archived from the original on 2021-08-14. Retrieved 2021-08-15.
- Kumar, Ruchi (2021-08-12). "'For as long as we can': reporting as an Afghan woman as the Taliban advance". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2021-08-15. Retrieved 2021-08-15.
- Nordland, Rod; Sukhanyar, Jawad (2015-11-07). "Afghan Mullah Leading Stoning Inquiry Condones Practice". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2021-07-25. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
- Mashal, Mujib; Nader, Zahra (2017-07-08). "No Justice, 'No Value' for Women in a Lawless Afghan Province". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2021-08-15. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
- Pirzad, Zainab; Alizada, Atefa; Rezai, Rubaba (2021-08-12). "'I worry my daughters will never know peace': women flee the Taliban – again". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2021-08-15. Retrieved 2021-08-15.
- Ahmadi, Lidi (2021-08-13). "'Nowhere to go': divorced Afghan women in peril as the Taliban close in". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2021-08-15. Retrieved 2021-08-15.
- The Solar Hijri date of "Thank you for standing..." is stated as ۲۴ اسد ۱۴۰۰ (15 August 2021): "Rukhshana Media". Rukhshana Media. 2021-08-24. Archived from the original on 2021-08-24. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
- "Thank you for standing in solidarity with Afghan women and for trusting Rukhshana Media". Rukhshana Media. 2021-08-15. Archived from the original on 2021-08-20. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
- Allsop, Jon (2021-08-17). "A dark time for Afghanistan's journalists". Columbia Journalism Review. Archived from the original on 2021-08-18. Retrieved 2021-08-18.