Renovated room for women journalists inaugurated

Islamabad:The National Press Club, with the support of the Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO), Maqam International, and Info News Network, inaugurated the newly renovated Women Journalist Room on Tuesday.

Former deputy speaker of National Assembly Faisal Karim Kundi and Member National Assembly and Convener SDGs Taskforce Rumina Khursheed Alam were the chief guests at the event. The event started with speeches by the chief guests, followed by the ribbon-cutting ceremony of renovated Women Journalists Room.

Speaking at the event, Syed Kausar Abbas, Executive Director SSDO stated that in Pakistan, the ratio of female journalists to male journalists is incredibly low. "Furthermore, since working environments are not friendly to the needs of women journalists, it makes it much harder for them to work," he said commending the National Press Club for having a women-only room.

Keeping in view the dire need for a women-friendly separate space, SSDO decided to provide support to the NPC and help renovate the Women Journalist Room. He went on to say that SSDO is continuing initiatives to build the capacities of female journalists, promoting women-friendly workspaces and advocating for women’s labour rights.

Nayyar Ali, Secretary of Finance of the NPC, thanked SSDO for their efforts and stated that this room would go a long way in promoting women’s journalism in Pakistan. She stressed that the opportunities are extremely limited for women journalists, and on top of it, they lack gender-conducive working environments.

Furthermore, she stated that this would lead to greater reporting on women’s issues such as gender-based violence, as well as shedding greater light on women’s achievements as well in different sectors: media, activism, civil society, sports, politics, and entertainment. Over the past five years, SSDO has been greatly involved in the promotion of gender equality and women’s rights by engaging in several projects and advocacy efforts, as well as several trainings of the media on reporting of social issues.