Sensitised : Journalists in Peshawar trained on child abuse coverage

Workshop was arranged by Federal Ministry of Law and Human Rights

PESHAWAR:

To sensitise the media on issues such as child abuse, the Federal Ministry of Law, Justice and Human Rights arranged a workshop in the city on Monday.

“The idea is to impart knowledge on how to protect child rights while covering stories for the media,” said the ministry’s Deputy Director Haroonur Rehman. “Journalists in Pakistan are frequently covering issues of child marriage, trafficking, sexual abuse and corporal punishment. These are so sensitive that if not covered properly, a long scar can be left on the personality of victims [or those who can relate to the matter].”



Senior Journalist from Peshawar, Safiullah Gul, briefed the participants on the code of ethics for the media while reporting children’s issues. “It’s totally against media ethics to ask questions from the child who is already passing through trauma and shock,” said Gul.

Another journalist, Iqbal Khattak, who specialises in media training and advocacy, said that the person covering issues of children should be well-trained in the field.

University of Peshawar Department of Sociology and Social Work Chairman Dr Basharat was also present on the occasion.

He told participants about corporal punishment and its impact on children. “Violence is rampant in our society on the pretext of discipline.”

Published in The Express Tribune, September 1st, 2015.