ISLAMABAD: Chairperson of the National Commission for the Status of Women (NCSW), Nelofar Bakhtiar has stressed on strengthening the role of the media in raising awareness on issues related to child marriage and gender based violence.

She was speaking at the inaugural day of the Journalist Refresher Training on Social Norms, Gender, Prevention and Health Consequences related to Child Marriage here in Islamabad on Friday.

The workshop is being held with the support from NCSW in collaboration with the UNICEF and UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund).

Forty-five journalists from across Pakistan are being trained on different aspects and dimensions of the issue of child marriage, according to an official press release.

These journalists are part of the National Media Fellowship (NMF), a flagship project of NCSW, that sensitizes the media on responsible reporting for the prevention and elimination of Child Marriage and Gender-Based Violence (GBV).

So far, two cohorts of 40 journalists each have been trained in two fellowship programs in 2022 and 2023. Under the first program held in 2022, 162 media stories and two documentaries were produced on GBV, child marriage and impact of climate change on women.

These stories were published through leading media houses and digital platforms in the country. After the completion of second round of NMF, more than 180 stories focusing GBV, girls’ and women rights are expected to be produced in 2024.

Chairperson NCSW Nilofar Bakhtiar expressed that media has a vital role to play in the efforts to curb violence against women and to create awareness on the issue of child marriage.

She said she dreamt of a society embracing equality, inclusivity and empowering women with active participation of the media.

She urged journalists to focus more on responsible and research-based reporting and to enhance their interest in learning and working on those ideas and concepts that might be a reason for positive change, human improvement and social reforms.