Afghanistan
Journalist ,Vice President of the South Asia Media Commission
Hijri 1397-Present (AH); Common Era 1977-Present (CE)
Winning the International Women's Media Foundation Courage in Journalism Award in 2008, Farida Nekzad has devoted herself to drawing attention to the unfettered rule of the warlords in Afghanistan. Vice president of the South Asia Media Commission and managing editor of the only independent Afghani news outlet, Pajhwok Afghan News, Nekzad has been trying to improve the lot of women and their right to the freedom of speech by expounding upon the discriminatory actions of warlords. She has worked freelance for the Institute of War and Peace Reporting, New York Times, BBC, Voice of America, and Effat, a magazine for women released by a group of Afghan female journalists post-Taliban era. Despite the turmoil Afghanistan has been facing, Nekzad continues to write about the domestic violence, forced marriages, and discrimination against women's rights workers that occur under the rule of the warlords. These warlords have not taken kindly to her writing. She has received death threats and escaped a kidnapping attempt by the expedient of jumping from a moving vehicle. In the face of this adversity, Nekzad nonetheless persists in her efforts, wishing to be a role model for other Afghan women.
