Fatima Roshanian
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Fatima Roshanian is the CEO of Nimrokh Media and has studied political science and journalism at Gawharshad University, Kabul. She has worked for five years in the field of health, education, and women’s research in 27 provinces of Afghanistan from 2010 to 2014. In 2015, Fatima had an idea for a mechanism that would bring people together to fight for their fundamental rights. At the start of her university classes, she founded “Negarish Now” with several young people. She also volunteered in the cultural, social, educational, and human rights programs for three years, from 2015 to 2017, while serving as the head of the women’s committee and the deputy general of this institution.
After becoming aware of the deplorable conditions, imposed violence, and censorship against women, in 2017, Fatima established a weekly magazine under the name of Nimrokh in Kabul in August of the same year. For the five years that it has been active and published, this weekly has addressed problems pertaining to women, human rights, and the advancement of LGBTQ rights in Afghanistan. Following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, Fatima relocated to Albania on October 13, 2021, and then, on April 20, 2022, she became a refugee in Canada. She has registered Nimrokh as an independent, non-profit corporation in Canada, and its online activities reflect on the status of women in Afghanistan.
The policy and publication policy of Nimrokh is based on the protection of women’s rights, gender equality, democratic values, and critique of patriarchal socio-political culture and structures. In the last two years before the fall of Afghanistan, a major part of this media’s work was attending to women’s civil and political rights in the peace process as well. Striving to create a broad intellectual front among women in issues of peace and post-peace development; Nimrokh Media has defined the Taliban as an anti-woman terrorist group. After August 2021, Nimrokh focuses on the themes of women’s protest and resistance against the Taliban and the publication of reports on Taliban violence against women, women’s narratives of life under Taliban domination and women and migration.
Nimrokh aims to pose these inquiries to a substantial number of women profoundly affected by the resurgence of the Taliban. This includes women who held positions in various levels of government, such as the House of Representatives and provincial councils, those actively involved in opposition groups and non-governmental organizations engaged in protest movements, and women who, as small business owners or entrepreneurs, provided opportunities for their families and communities.
The key questions revolve around the current activities and future plans of these women. Nimrokh seeks to understand their current level of connectivity, strategies to enhance the situation for women, and the evolving challenges and opportunities they face in comparison to the past. It also delves into whether these women perceive themselves as influential or harbor hope for the future, or if they are striving to integrate into host communities.
In the initial phase, Nimrokh plans to present these questions to various categories of Afghan women both in migration and within Afghanistan. ten of these women will undergo in-depth interviews focusing on their experiences regarding the past, present, and future. It is anticipated that the project will expand to include a larger and more diverse group of women over time.