KABUL - Ministry of Information and Culture (MoIC) and media supporting institutions on Saturday announced the approval of Processes and Structuring of Private-Mass Media Outlets, a move enabling journalists and media workers to benefit from insurance and retirement allowances.
The new regulations also ensure owners of media outlets make sure proper security measures for their employees are in place.
"In our part we tried to highlight the rights and privileges of the journalists or media workers, because they have no insurance and retirement rights, the contracts which are signed with journalists are unjust. Journalists are not benefitting from packages when they report from warfronts or while they are working extra hours," Fahim Dashti, head of Afghanistan Journalists Union said.
"The regulation is aimed to seek settlement to the issues mentioned within the framework of a legal procedure. We hope that after this, the journalists and media workers are able to get benefits and packages in line with the labor law of Afghanistan," he said.
On the basis of the process, future contracts between the workers and owners of media outlets will not remain secret.
"No contract will longer remain as a secret document. Most media organizations prefer to keep their contracts secret. No document in a media outlet is supposed to be secret," head of NAI-Institution Supporting Open Media in Afghanistan said.
Taliban's suicide attack on TOLO TV staffers followed widespread condemnation inside and outside the country with activists asking why the Taliban target media workers who are completely neutral.
The new regulation authorizes both the government and owners of media organizations to provide proper security to the journalists and media workers.
"The constitution obliges the government to make sure security of the citizens including the journalists. There are two articles in media law which stresses the government to ensure security of the journalists," head of Journalists Safety Committee Najib Sharifi said.
While media is still under threat, approval of the new regulation can be a step forwarded toward strengthening freedom of press. (Tolonews)