As women in Afghanistan are stripped of their rights - banned from education, barred from public life and rendered invisible - a number of women journalists continue to report from inside the country. They do so anonymously, at great personal risk and often without knowing the identities of their colleagues.
In a session titled Breaking the Silence, hosted by Thomson at the International Journalism Festival 2025 in Perugia (Italy), Afghan journalist Zahra Joya spoke about the conditions women and girls face under Taliban rule and the quiet determination of her team at Rukhshana Media, a newsroom founded to tell the stories of Afghan women.
Being a woman in Afghanistan is like being a second-class citizen, or worse, said Zahra. We are not allowed to go to school, to work, to travel alone. Women in Afghanistan are completely invisible.
Being a woman in Afghanistan is like being a second-class citizen, or worse.
Zahra Joya, founder of Rukhshana Media Nine women, no names Rukhshana Media was created in 2020 in memory of a young woman stoned to death after fleeing a forced marriage. Now operating from exile in London, Zahra leads a team of nine women reporters who remain in Afghanistan, gathering testimonies and publishing under pseudonyms.
One recent story, published with The Guardian, exposed how a woman collecting her wages was forced into marriage after being seen alone with her employer. From the Taliban's perspective, when a man and woman are together, it is a crime - unless they marry, Zahra said. She is now the second wife of a man with a family.
The toll is emotional as well as physical. The rate of suicide attempts is so high, particularly among young women, she said. The Taliban have issued over 80 decrees banning women from every part of society.
Disguised as a boy to get an education Zahra spoke candidly about her own experience under the Taliban's first regime. As a child, she posed as a boy - cutting her hair and taking the name Mohammed Joya - to attend school. It gave me freedom, she said. I could play football. I could be part of conversations that girls weren't allowed to hear.
Now, she leads a team of women who do not know each other's identities, operating in isolation to protect one another's safety. They are courageous, intelligent and brave, Zahra said. They know that if they give up now, who will work for the daughters of Afghanistan tomorrow?
That bravery carries risk. If discovered, they could be arrested, jailed, even murdered, she told the audience.
Asked whether she foresees a time when Rukhshana Media may be forced to stop, Zahra admitted it was a possibility . But what we are doing is more than journalism. It is a form of resistance, she said.
She ended with a clear message to the international media: Read our work. Share our stories. Invite us to the table. Use your platform. International silence empowers the Taliban. You have power - please use it for us.
Watch the full session on demand here: --
*All images in this article by Riccardo Urli
-- Explore our projects across the globe
Most recent headlines
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
15/04/2025
As women in Afghanistan are stripped of their rights - banned from education, barred from public life and rendered invisible - a number of women journalists con...
15/04/2025
In March this year, Spotify unveiled its annual Loud & Clear report, a transpare...
15/04/2025
As the world's most popular audio-streaming subscription service, Spotify is...
15/04/2025
Claudia Karvan, Tom Gleeson, and Mark Coles Smith join in the adventure of a lif...
15/04/2025
SBS and Volleyball World sign landmark deal for Beach Volleyball World Champions...
15/04/2025
Seven different platforms deliver March's most-watched streaming titles.
St...
15/04/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communication Commission's Media Bureau has issued a Notice seeking comments on a major filing by the National Association of Broadca...
15/04/2025
PHILADELPHIA As cable operators face increased competition from fixed wireless plans, Comcast is introducing the option to choose a five-year price guarantee wh...
15/04/2025
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. Kaleidescape has announced that it has joined the 8K Association (8KA)....
15/04/2025
Jan Krupp, VFX supervisor at Scanline VFX, tells TVBEurope how the company created a range of environments for the Netflix film
By Matthew Corrigan
Published...
15/04/2025
Ateliere said that due to the current, unforeseen turbulence in the US and in the global business and financial markets the company is no longer in a position t...
15/04/2025
WASHINGTON In a wide-ranging filing with the Federal Communications Commission, Sinclair applauded the agency's push towards deregulation while arguing that...
15/04/2025
From Homer to Mickey, How ESPN Is Blazing the Live Animated Broadcast Trail ESPNs Amy Nelson, Sparky Sparrgrove, and Spike Szykowny offer an inside look at the ...
15/04/2025
SVG College Sports Media Awards 2025: Final Deadline to Enter is Wednesday All entries must be received by end-of-day April 16 By Brandon Costa, Director of Di...
15/04/2025
Football Summit 2025: BBC Sport and Sunset Vine share plans for UEFA Women's...
15/04/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: ScorePlay Cofounder and CEO Vic Tixier on Media Manag...
15/04/2025
Inside IOWN: Envisioning a high-speed, high-capacity future for live productions By Joe OHalloran
Tuesday, April 15, 2025 - 09:38
Print This Story
As dele...
15/04/2025
Neither fair nor objective , Mediapro reacts strongly to LaLiga decision to awar...
15/04/2025
HBS and NVP take LaLiga production and distribution for first and second divisio...
15/04/2025
LA28 Details Venue Plans for 2028 Summer Games By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Tuesday, April 15, 2025 - 1:37 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
St...
15/04/2025
Rohde & Schwarz unleashes the key to unlocking true spectrum dominance in multid...
15/04/2025
Rohde & Schwarz expands testing equipment portfolio to support Telesat Lightspee...
15/04/2025
Matter interoperability has become the foundation of uniting diverse ecosystems. The universal connectivity standard developed by the Connectivity Standards All...
14/04/2025
Rwanda's vulnerability to climate change is underscored by its ranking of 124th out of 182 countries in the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative's in...
14/04/2025
By Bailey Pennick
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festi...
14/04/2025
On Monday, April 14, Blue Origin's NS-31 mission lifted off from Launch Site...
14/04/2025
Whether it's having first access to tickets, being a part of once-in-a-lifet...
14/04/2025
SBS becomes first Australian broadcaster to have near-and long-term carbon reduc...
14/04/2025
For 190 years, innovation and technology from our talented workforce have distin...
14/04/2025
As Calrec continues to lead a new era of technical innovation with its portfolio of complimentary broadcast audio solutions, the company has today announced the...
14/04/2025
For the first time, advertisers and agencies can directly compare campaign perfo...
14/04/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communication Commission's Media Bureau has issued a Notice seeking comments on a major filing by the National Association of Broadca...
14/04/2025
magic multi media unveils new customizable features and advanced AI for EDIUS 11...
14/04/2025
Rotating around an object or layer in After Effects
Graham Quince April 14, 2025
0 Comments
One of the most frequently asked questions on forums is: ...
14/04/2025
Does Clearing the Cache Really Work in Premiere Pro?
Colin Smith April 14, 2025
0 Comments
This tutorial clearly outlines the types of problems that c...
14/04/2025
Stanley has been promoted to the role following seven years as general manager with the company
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: April 14, 2025 Updated: Apri...
14/04/2025
StreamAMG delivers more than 15,000 live events each year, with over 52,000 hours of content watched in 200 countries
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: April 14...
14/04/2025
TVBEurope content director Jenny Priestley sums up her 2025 NAB Show experience, from the end of AI hype to the impact of tariffs, trying out virtual production...
14/04/2025
Ottawa, April 14, 2025 - Ross Video is pleased to announce a new creative partne...
14/04/2025
14 Apr 2025
VEON Publishes 2024 Integrated Annual Report Detailing Commitment t...
14/04/2025
NAB 2025 in Review: Broadcast Audio Faces a Future of Tariff-Induced Higher Cost...
14/04/2025
Changing the world: Behind the collaborative production of the 2025 Special Olym...
14/04/2025
From Paris to Milano Cortina: The International Paralympic Committee on the move...
14/04/2025
SVG College Summit 2025: Jimmy Platt, ESPN's College Football Playoff, Women...
14/04/2025
NAB 2025 in Review: SVG Audio Roundtable Reflects On a Changing Industry Global sports, speech intelligibility, digital microphones are on the table By Dan Dal...
14/04/2025
NAB 2025 in Review: The Pairing of AI and Audio Is Possible But it won't necessarily happen tomorrow By Dan Daley, Audio Editor
Monday, April 14, 2025 - ...
14/04/2025
WNBA Draft 2025: ESPN's Onsite Effort Fits Into NYC Grid for National Teleca...
14/04/2025
Monday 14 April 2025
On an unmissable day of world-class sporting drama, Sky Sports created its own history by breaking viewership records on Sunday 13 April, ...
As women in Afghanistan are stripped of their rights - banned from education, barred from public life and rendered invisible - a number of women journalists continue to report from inside the country. They do so anonymously, at great personal risk and often without knowing the identities of their colleagues.
