By Asad Farooq

KARACHI: The community radio could provide great help in ending gender discrimination and empowering women.

Sindh Women Development Minister Tauqeer Fatima Bhutto stated this while speaking as chief guest at a three-day training work-shop for journalists and civil society organisations’ workers, organised by the Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) here on Friday.

Bhutto said her department had launched different projects in Sindh for development of women.

“The importance of radio in social development is accepted all over the world,” she said.

“The newspapers and TV channels generally do not give the required coverage to the issues related to omen and opening more FM radios would prove beneficial for highlighting women issues and thus help in ending gender discrimination,” she said.

The minister said giving due rights to women was necessary for a rapid social uplift.

PPF chairman Owais Aslam Mi said community radio is functioning in every part of the world however, in Pakistan the government is not giving serious consideration to this important sector.

He said the present democratic government should allow community radio in Pakistan to spur rapid social development, particularly in far-flung rural areas. He said PPF is committed to help in better raining of radio professionals in Pakistan. It has conducted different training workshops for radio journalists and more are in pipeline.

“Better training opportunities would help in further increasing popularity, reach and effectiveness of FM Radio in Pakistan,” he said.

It was noted that radio is a powerful medium and it could help political patties and civil society organisations bringing a sustainable change in society. The radio is a cost-effective popular medium with a wider range. Radio has an effective reach in remote rural areas where newspapers and TV have still to make inroads. For bringing a sustainable and positive change in society political parties and CSOs should develop close linkages with radio.

Source: Daily Times