Media’s Pivotal Role in Ending Child Marriage:Nilofar

Shazia Mehboob

Islamabad: NCSW Chairperson Nilofar Bakhtiar emphasized the pivotal role of media in combating violence against women and addressing child marriage issues. She stressed that achieving a society built on equality and empowerment for women is inconceivable without active media involvement.

Highlighting NCSW’s dedicated efforts in advocating for women’s rights through collaboration, Bakhtiar urged journalists to prioritize responsible, research-based reporting. She encouraged them to explore transformative ideas fostering positive change, human development, and social reforms.

A three-day reunion and refresher workshop for media fellows focusing on child marriage was organized by the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) in partnership with UNICEF and UNFPA. The workshop aims to train 45 nominated journalists nationwide on various facets of the child marriage issue.

Responsible reporting on Child Marriage & GBV is our aim to attain through #NationalMediaFellowship

Three-day Alumnae Reunion & Refresher Workshop of our Media Fellows has commenced today with collaboration and support from @UNICEF_Pakistan & @UNFPAPakistan pic.twitter.com/SFxzmgGgNR

— National Commission on the Status of Women (@ncswpk) December 15, 2023

The National Media Fellowship (NMF), a flagship initiative of NCSW, aims to sensitize journalists toward responsible reporting to prevent both child marriage and gender-based violence (GBV). This innovative program targets critical social issues, with 80 journalists from two cohorts trained in 2022 and 2023.

The 2022 program resulted in 162 journalistic stories and two documentaries addressing GBV, child marriage, and the impact of climate change on women. The ongoing second round of NMF anticipates releasing over 180 stories focusing on GBV, girls’, and women’s rights in the first quarter of 2024.