Digital Rights Basis (DRF) held a convention titled, ‘Celebrating Resilient Voices within the Media’ on Friday, 15th September 2023 at Mariott Lodge, Islamabad. The convention was marked as a celebratory occasion of DRF’s work and achievements with girls journalists within the nation, significantly by way of its Community of Girls Journalists for Digital Rights (NWJDR).
The convention introduced collectively journalists, civil society, authorities representatives and different stakeholders to debate the state of media and the challenges that girls journalists face within the nation and rejoice their achievements regardless of the tough circumstances they face working within the area.
The convention had an thrilling line-up of three panels to delve into DRF’s engagement with the journalist neighborhood in Pakistan and showcased an artwork exhibition of hand-drawn illustrations from DRF’s journal, Digital 50.50.
The occasion began off with welcome remarks by Maryam Saeed, Program Supervisor at Digital Rights Basis, who added, “Now we have gathered at this time to concentrate on what now we have constructed at DRF over the previous seven years. We’re celebrating abundance at this time, of the relationships and friendships our NWJDR has developed and nurtured all through our journey.” Maryam talked concerning the accomplishments of the seven-year undertaking amplifying the expertise of working with and supporting girls journalists throughout Pakistan. She additionally highlighted the significance of DRF’s nationwide community of girls journalists which serves as a protected area the place these girls flip to one another for help and solidarity within the absence of help mechanisms.
In our seven-year journey with the NWJDR, now we have performed capacity-building workshops on on-line security, moral journalism, gender-sensitive reporting and media regulation with greater than 1,000 journalists throughout Pakistan. In 2020, DRF discovered Pakistan’s first feminist e-magazine, Digital 50.50, which supplies a platform for girls journalists in Pakistan to lift marginalized voices. Up to now 4 years, DRF has launched 15 editions of the journal that includes greater than 100 authentic contributions from journalists and 120 hand-drawn illustrations depicting the articles on digital rights coated within the journal. We additionally initiated a development of annual Residential Retreats for the Collective Properly-being of girls journalists in Pakistan and have thus far hosted three Retreats with greater than 30 contributors attending every of those.
The first Secretary of Political Affairs for the Netherlands Embassy, Ms. Lotte Hofste, shared opening remarks and careworn the necessity for a balanced gendered portrayal in media which reveals a optimistic impact on each men and women. She additionally shared considerations about girls journalists being attacked on-line primarily as a result of intersection of gender and journalism and the way on-line areas are unsafe for them to pursue their careers.
DRF’s Government Director Nighat Dad acknowledged, “This convention is a celebration of the community of girls journalists that we envisioned and established in 2017. Over time, DRF has not solely taken measures to empower girls journalists within the media but additionally supported them in guaranteeing their presence in on-line areas is protected and rewarding. Because the world is more and more turning into extra restricted when it comes to free expression, now we have gathered collectively at this time to rejoice these girls and their resilience and perseverance in working in Pakistan’s male-dominated media areas.” Nighat additionally highlighted how the harassment and intimidation that girls journalists face act as a barrier for aspiring journalists to enter the sphere and make clear the ability of resilience exhibited by the seasoned journalists who had been current on the occasion.
The primary panel of the convention, ‘Unpacking the Mosaic of Digital 50.50’ was a dialog with the contributors of Digital 50.50 moderated by Maryam Saeed. The panelists included girls journalists, Umaima Ahmed, Khalida Niaz and Aneela Ashraf, and Digital 50.50 illustrator Bushra Saleem. Khalida Niaz shared her expertise of engaged on tales from tribal areas in Pakistan and the difficulties girls journalists face in making their voices heard. She stated, “platforms like Digital 50.50 are essential to amplify girls’s voices by way of totally different mediums and native languages to cater to a big viewers”.
The second panel of the occasion was on ‘Digital Rights for journalists and media practitioners: the place are we headed’ which was moderated by Benazir Shah. The panel targeted on the panorama of the media in Pakistan and was joined by panelists Afshan Masab, Insiya Syed, Fauzia Yazdani and Annie Shirazi. Benazir’s interventions round journalist security and shrinking media areas had been eye-opening. She posed inquiries to the panel about media censorship & the function of journalists in offering entry to information a significant one on the finish of the panel.
The third panel moderated by Zainab Durrani, “From cyberbullying to authorized motion: on-line harassment in opposition to journalists” was joined by Malik Kamran Rajar, Secretary Nationwide Fee of Human Rights, Usama Khilji, Irum Shujah and Hyra Basit. Usama stated, “Many media homes don’t have insurance policies that cater to girls to start with. There have been cases the place girls are fired when they’re anticipating and girls journalists undergo enormously of their occupation as a consequence of lack of a coverage and authorized framework.” Moreover, NCHR Secretary added, “As Fee, it’s our obligation to determine the gaps within the system. And our grievance system could be expanded and a grievance filed with NCHR will see a recourse extra effectively particularly if the state fails to reply.”
Digital Rights Basis is a registered research-based NGO in Pakistan. Based in 2012, DRF focuses on ICTs to help human rights, inclusiveness, democratic processes, and digital governance. DRF works on problems with on-line free speech, privateness, knowledge safety and on-line violence in opposition to girls.
For extra data go online: www.digitalrightsfoundation.pk
Fb
Twitter/X
Tiktok
#ResilienceInMedia2023 #NWJDR2023
Contact
Seerat Khan
Anam Baloch
Maryam Saeed