NANGARHAR - To mark the international Day of Families, a number of local radio stations in eastern Jalalabad City broadcast special programmes to raise awareness on the importance of families.

An "all-women" radio channel, Nargis FM, organized a 50-minute phone-in programme, in which over 15 people from Nangarhar, Kunar and Laghman provinces took part and expressed their views on the impact of war on the families in Afghanistan.

A lecturer of Psychology at the Faculty of Pedagogy at Nangarhar University, Abdul Rashid, said, “Families in Afghanistan suffered a lot during 30 years of war in Afghanistan.”

He added that war prevents development, eliminates happiness and creates anxiety. “People grown in war are aggressive and prefer to resolve problems through conflict,” said Mr. Rashid.

Another speaker, Fatima, a 20-year-old girl from Achin District of Nangarhar Province, said that ongoing conflict in Afghanistan has seriously affected the young generation. “Young Afghan males resist their sisters going to universities or going out for work, which means the war has affected the perception of youth.”

Sanga Ahmadi, a 35-year-old woman, said that three decades of war left behind many orphans who have less opportunity for education. “It may seriously affect social and economic growth and cause mental abnormalities in the children.”

Another local radio channel, Safa FM, also broadcast a 10-minute special programme to mark the International Day of Families.