KARACHI: Journalists from various broadcast media outlets of the city were unanimous in their opinion that there are serious issues of gender inequality in the media.

They stressed the need for an action to spread awareness about the gender inequality issues through media. The media personnel assembled at a workshop hosted by Individualland Pakistan in partnership with the Aurat Foundation and the USAID supported Gender Equity Program. The journalists from print, electronic and broadcast medium attended the three-day workshop which was eighth in series hosted all over Pakistan. The objective of the initiative was to sensitise the electronic and print media regarding the issue of women empowerment and use it as a medium for advocacy. The discussions will also focus on the sensitivity of communicating women related issues through media and selection of appropriate messages. Individualland Pakistan is an active non-partisan and not for profit registered civil society group. Since its inception, it has worked on issues relating to the governance, rule of law, media communication skills, strengthening civil society and democratic development.

Individualland Pakistan has also conducted a base line survey to find trends and perceptions of various media projections among the communities.

The project will also contribute to lobbying and advocacy of this important issue by using media platforms, particularly to influence the policy formulation process.

Individualland Pakistan, under GEP, has successfully conducted sensitisation sessions in Islamabad, Peshawar, Faisalabad, Quetta, Lahore, Multan and Hyderabad while an event is also planned for Gilgit.

The workshop proved an excellent meeting ground for journalists to share their valuable experiences in the context of gender equity.

Source: Daily Times

Date:10/16/2011