The official launch of the second National Media Fellowship (NMF) – an innovative step aimed at addressing and raising awareness about the pressing issues of gender-based violence (GBV) and child marriages in the society – held on Wednesday.
The fellowship a collaborative effort made by the Centre for Excellence in Journalism at the Institute of Business Administration (CEJ-IBA), the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and it is set to make a significant impact on the discourse surrounding these critical issues.The Caretaker Federal Minister for Human Rights Mr. Khalil George, attended the launch as the chief guest for the evening.
He congratulated NCSW-UNFPA and CEJ-IBA for making efforts to curb the violence against women and to create awareness on the issue of child marriage. He further said that Media’s role is very crucial and incredible as a watchdog that is carrying sensitive responsibility to portray these issues in our society.
He added “journalists are very important segment in recent societies and particularly for democratic government. By sensitizing and training them on these issues we can create a more respectful and enabling environment for women and girls of Pakistan, said the federal minister”.National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) in collaboration with UNFPA & CEJ-IBA initiated a media fellowship in 2022 to sensitize & train the journalists to report gender related issues with a gender lens. In the first cycle of NMF, 37 journalists were trained on the theme and they produced 162 stories in addition to 2 documentaries related to GBV, Child marriages and impact of climate on women which was published in the leading media houses across the country. The second cycle of the same will train & sensitize 40 Journalists.
