Tuesday, March 17, was the national day for journalists in Afghanistan, and it comes as violence against media workers still remains high. 14 cases of violence against journalists have been reported so far this year.

The number was provided by Sediqullah Tawhidi, head of the Journalists' Safety Committee. “Fourteen cases is a high number,” Tawhidi said. “We will witness more cases of violence against journalists by the end of the year if the situation continues.”

Nahid Bashardost, a journalist in Kabul who has worked in the field for 40 years, says she has a passion for journalism despite its challenges in Afghanistan.

The golden era of journalism, according to Bashardost, was before the civil war in the1960s.

“Many things have changed now. Minds are full of ideas of war. The society is gripped with economic challenges, psychological problems and other challenges. These all have caused increased violence against journalists,” she said.

Other journalists said lack of security and lack of access to information are two main challenges for them.

“Despite the government’s promises, the media and journalists are still faced with many problems regarding access to information,” said Nooruddin Bahir, a reporter.

“Regretably, Afghanistan is one of the worst places for journalism in the world in terms of security,” said Ahmad Shah Irfanyar, a reporter.