New York: The Coalition For Women In Journalism will announce the launch of its Pakistan chapter on February 27, said a press release on Thursday.
An hour-long event will be held to mark the occasion at the Islamabad Press Club, beginning with a panel discussion on the journalism landscape for women professionals in the country.
“The panel will discuss our findings from a survey carried out with newsrooms and freelance journalists in the country, the statement said.
The statement quoted Kiran Nazish, the co-founder and director of the Coalition For Women In Journalism, as saying, “we are absolutely thrilled to build a strong team to work in Pakistan for the incredible work that women in journalism are doing in this country.”
“During our research, we found that 69 percent of female journalists had faced harassment on the job. That is an alarming number and we hope with a stronger support network in this country, we can improve the condition through advocacy and awareness.”
“Women are working in every aspect of the journalism industry in Pakistan, yet there is no support system to address the issues they face,” Nosheen Abbas, the country manager for the Coalition For Women In Journalism, was quoted as saying in the statement.
“This is what the coalition is here to do. I am honoured and thrilled to be a part of something that has been overdue for so long.”
“Media organisations in Pakistan don’t have gender codes. They lack both resources and understanding that gender specific environment is a critical need of an industry that has an incredible number of women working both in newsrooms and as freelancers. We want to build an environment that encourages women to work,” said Tanzeela Mazhar, who looks at safe environments project with the Coalition For Women In Journalism. “In the current state of media in Pakistan, a support network is an urgent need, and we hope to help guide women journalists to not only navigate an environment filled with discrimination and harassment but also claim their space in industry.”
The statement said that the coalition was keen on observing and understanding cultural nuances specific to the industry in Pakistan. Marvi Sirmed, who looks over advocacy for the coalition, pointed out the need for specialised mentorship in the statement, saying, “women journalists face everyday sexism coupled with lack of gender neutral mentorship in their field. Whatever little guidance is available usually comes either with strings attached or with heavy dose of patriarchal protectionism and patronisation. We hope that through this initiative, young women can be offered mentorship support essential to understand the professionalism in the beats they choose for themselves within journalism.”
Published in Daily Times, February 23rd 2018.
