Media should recruit at least 30pc women
At least 30 percent of posts in the country's mass media houses should comprise women for their empowerment, suggested journalists and rights activists at a national consultation yesterday.
Besides, women should be ensured equal opportunities, removing barriers they face in assuming posts at the policymaking level, they added at Dhaka University's (DU) Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Bhaban.
Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) and South Asia Women's Network (SWAN) jointly organised the programme, “Gender-Sensitive Guidelines for Women in Media in South Asia”.
The consultation was organised as part of the South Asia regional initiative of Unesco and SWAN on formulating a guideline for women in the media.
Once formulated, Manusher Jonno Foundation, a member of SWAN, will present the draft guideline at a conference of SWAN this month's end.
Dozens of journalists, women's rights activists and academicians yesterday came up with several suggestions for inclusion in the guidelines.
Media house authorities should provide transports for female journalists as the latter in many cases face problems in getting it while performing duties, said Nasimun Ara Hoq, president of Bangladesh Nari Sangbadik Kendra.
Citing that there are some incidents where maternity leave acted as a barrier for women to get promoted, she opined removing such obstacles.
Eminent writer Selina Hossain said male journalists should have a positive mindset towards female colleagues so that the latter do not become victims of any kind of discrimination and exploitation.
Although many women are now apparently working in the media, some research showed that their presence in some cases have declined in the last 15 years, said Prof Gitiara Nasreen of DU's mass communication and journalism department. Chief Information Commissioner Dr Golam Rahman sought an end to the trend of portraying women as sexual objects in mass media.
Manusher Jonno Foundation Executive Director Shaheen Anam said the guideline would mainly focus the extent of difficulties female journalists face in their profession and how those obstacles can be addressed.
President of a faction of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists Monjurul Ahsan Bulbul recommended being careful in the use of words and sentences while publishing women-related news so that those do not insult or affect them.
Despite the many developments made towards women empowerment, some media houses still show unwillingness on recruiting female journalists and this practice should come to a stop, said Daily Ittefaq acting editor Tasmima Hossain.
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