Gender Equality: Aspiring journalists urged to get rid of cultural biases

FAISALABAD:

A workshop on Gender Sensitisation for the students of Mass Communication was held at a local hotel on Thursday.

Speakers Munazza Hashmi and Seemi Raheel said it was important to educate budding journalists about gender-related issues. They said the journalists needed to get rid of cultural and religious biases before going out in the field and reporting on issues of this nature. This kind of an attitude, they said, would help them uphold gender equality in their reports.

The speakers said that national development goals could not be achieved without first taking action against discrimination against women. They said women empowerment was a prerequisite for development. They added that journalists could contribute by highlighting incidents of abuse and discrimination against women.

The workshop was attended by DO Social Welfare Chaudhry Sarfraz Ahmad, Muhammad Ehsan of Gender Support Unit, Research Officer Hina Israr Butt and Mass Communication students of Government College University, Faislabad and Allama Iqbal Open University.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 20^th, 2011.