NANGARHAR - More Afghan women should be working as journalists, said panellists during a UNAMA-backed televised debate broadcast in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Nangarhar this week.

The debate, organized by UNAMA’s regional office along with local NGO Development and Change Association, drew a live audience of 100 students and lecturers from the journalism and law faculties of local universities, along with representatives from Afghan civil society.

Five panellists, including journalists, university professors and civil society activists, discussed women’s role in the media and the media’s role in empowering Afghan women.

Hijratullah Ekhtyar, a lecturer in the Law Faculty at Nangarhar University, pointed out that female journalists have a unique opportunity in being able to report the problems Afghan women face. He said Afghan women are more comfortable speaking to other women.

Mr. Ekhtyar expressed dissatisfaction over the limited number of female journalists working in Afghanistan’s eastern provinces, and called on community leaders to encourage girls to study journalism and to provide opportunities for women to play a more active role in the media.

During the discussion, journalist Maryam Shaiba shared the story of her struggle to become a journalist. “I wanted to serve Afghan women through the help of a microphone, so I jumped in with a strong will,” she said. “I faced a lot of challenges but finally I succeeded.”

Erfanullah Hamdard, a journalism student and member of the audience, called on media outlets to launch awareness-raising campaign. The campaigns, he said, not only would help encourage women to join the ranks of working journalists but also would assist in convincing families to support girls in pursuing educations in this field.

The programme was broadcast in Jalalabad on Asia Television, Afghan Cable Centre and Mina Radio, and in Laghman province on Nawokht Radio, reaching an audience estimated at 900,000 people.

UNAMA is mandated to support the Afghan Government and relevant international and local non-governmental organizations to assist in the full implementation of the fundamental freedoms and human rights provisions of the Afghan Constitution and international treaties to which Afghanistan is a State party, in particular those regarding the full enjoyment by women of their human rights.