Freshta Shikhany

Blazing a Trail for Pakistan's Women Journalists - standing up for human rights

"With radio, I can give my community a voice," says Freshta Shikhany, one of few women reporters in Pakistan. Shikhany reports for Da Pulay Poray (On the Borderline). The weekly program, started by Internews and produced by a team of Pakistani and Afghan radio journalists, covers issues affecting populations along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and airs on 15 radio stations in the region. Shikhany also has her own show on Buraq 104 Peshawar's first independent FM station.

Shikhany received early education in refugee schools and later joined an unregistered Afghan university to study journalism. She had family support, but no Pakistani institution would accept her as a student to allow her to finish her degree. Then she learned about the journalism training program run by Internews at the University of Peshawar. Shikhany was admitted as a special case due to her refugee status and went on to complete the course.

Standing up for the principles of the Universal Declaration
Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights protects "the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas" In addition, Article 20 affirms that "Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association."

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