Call for media reforms to sensitise public about women’s rights

An online discussion on Wednesday urged media houses to bring reforms on a war footing in their content and workspaces to sensitise society about the rights of women because the environment for them has turned drastically hostile in the country.

The discussion comprising journalists and social and human rights activists was organised on Zoom by the Uks Research Centre, which is an advocacy group campaigning for gender equality and women’s development.

Sharing her thoughts on the issue, Uks Director Tasneem Ahmar said that in the circumstances that society is suffering, they need a media that can portray the struggles of women in their truest sense.

She said that “manels” — panels that comprise only male speakers — are not an answer to the problems, and should be rejected by media managers and the public. Instead, women from grassroots level who have worked hard to survive in this society should be made part of the discussion in the mainstream so that their stories can be shared with the world, she added.

Journalist Zebunnisa Burki said that most of the newsrooms have generational gaps between millennials and baby boomers, which hamper contemporary problems from getting amicably highlighted.

She said that the entire media is talking about Afghanistan and taking opinions from different experts on the issue. But, she asked, how many of them are including female Afghan journalists in their discussions to know their opinion on the situation they have been facing under the Taliban rule.

Shedding light on the entertainment section of the media, screenwriter Bee Gul said that instead of going after the real stories, media owners want to project stereotypical plots in which men are shown as saviours of women.

She said that a model has been set for the drama industry in which women are shown empowered and working, yet in the next scenes they are shown busy in the kitchen in their homes, and on the contrary, men are not shown sharing the domestic responsibilities with them.

Human rights specialist Salman Asif said patriarchy or misogyny is not gender-specific because it has become institutionalised in society. He said that not only men but also women — and some powerful ones — are also part of the problem.

He said that a targeted approach is necessary to solve this issue, and it should start from political parties, their leaders and parliamentarians. Media as a window or a mirror of society has to engage them in debates on women’s rights, he added.

Journalist Amir Mateen said the media needs to check itself if its workspaces are free of toxicity and if the environment is comfortable for women. Society was much more inclusive and tolerant in the ’60s and ’70s, but it gradually deteriorated to what it is today, he added.

He urged women’s rights activists who take to the streets and voice concerns about gender-based violence to be promoted to assemblies to fill the women quota instead of female relatives of politicians.

He also suggested that the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority broadcast public service messages on television screens across the country so that the public can be sensitised. Journalist Zafar Abbas said that there are a lot of challenges in the media and there is a dearth of women in mainstream journalism. He said that the gender equation needs to be balanced in newsrooms because it is the only way out of the problems.