KABUL - A media house in the east of Afghanistan has started broadcasting articles of an Afghan law that seeks to end violence against women, coinciding with the start of a 16-day global campaign against violence against women on 25 November.

The state-controlled Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) of Nangarhar province started the broadcast of public service announcements during prime time hours to make the people aware of the Elimination of Violence Against Women (EVAW) Law enacted in August 2009.

The 44-Article law criminalizes various forms of violence against women, such as sexual assault, forcing into prostitution, beatings, baad (the use of women or girls in exchange for a settlement of disputes or debt), forced marriage, child marriage and honour killings, among others.

Amrullah Rawan, director of broadcasting unit of RTA Nangarhar, said the message will reach about 2 million people in the conservative east of Afghanistan, where most families keep women away from the public's eye and crimes like honour killings and baad are frequent.

RTA Nangarhar agreed to broadcast the messages following a request by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

In 1999, the UN General Assembly designated 25 November as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The day also marks the beginning of the 16 Days of Activism for the Elimination of Violence against Women that ends on 10 December, which is International Human Rights Day.

Nwanneakolam Vwede-Obahor, a UNAMA human rights officer, believes the radio campaign will help spread the message to a wider population as radios are the most effective medium of communication to reach out to the country’s rural population.

“There is very little information about the existence of the EVAW Law and a large number of the population in the eastern region are in the dark,” said Vwede-Obahor. “We hope that knowledge about the law minimizes violence, at the least, if not eliminates it against women in the region.”

Meanwhile, UNAMA's human rights officers have also been briefing religious clerics about the law. On 24 and 25 November, 58 clerics were briefed in Nangarhar and Laghman provinces and a similar session will be held in Kunar province on 3 December. UNAMA will also brief women’s shuras (councils) in conjunction with an international aid group called International Medical Corps.

During the 16 days of campaigning, eastern Afghanistan will see similar briefings to youth groups, discussions and distribution of banners, with the involvement of various Government departments, UN agencies like UNICEF and UNHCR and other humanitarian agencies.

By Tilak Pokharel and Shafiqullah Waak, UNAMA