Networking for the Formulation and Implementation of a Gender Sensitive Code of Ethics for the Print Media in Pakistan

Uks programme managers feel that training of journalists and expanding the gender scope of the media would help to open up the society to a broader range of possibilities for women to play a more dynamic and valuable role. They felt that the development of a gender-sensitive code of ethics would contribute to meeting this goal.

Their strategy was to facilitate the government and the civil society in generating intensive, productive, and action-oriented debate on gender-sensitive journalistic ethics, focusing specifically on issues surrounding the improved representation of women and women-related issues in the print media. What emerged was this document [PDF], which includes guidelines on the right to privacy, pictorial description of women, projection of gender roles in advertisements, quality coverage of women's issues, and maintaining professional standards. One focus is on the importance of rectifying under-representation of women in professional media roles: "Short term as well as long-term goals need to be outlined for achieving gender equilibrium in the newspaper workplaces. As a short-term goal, newspaper owners/editors should be urged to include 1/3rd women in their offices." In addition, the "[w]ork environment of newspaper offices needs to be made conducive for women journalists. In this regards, there is a need to strictly implement a sexual harassment code in all newspaper offices." Another example: "Women journalists should be made to cover a variety of issues and not merely be relegated to covering women-oriented issues."

Gender, Women's Rights, Media, Press Freedom.

Since the imposition of "Press and Publication Ordinance" (PPO) by Ayub Khan in 1963, the relationship between the press and the Pakistani government has been combative. The PPO had, among other clauses, a section on a code of ethics, which was mainly a tool used to bind and gag the press and prevent them from publishing views and news that were critical of the government. This trend has continued and, at present, the proposed "Ethical Code of Practice" of the government refers to women-related issues only in passing. Uks members thus thought that it was important to develop a counter code of ethics which would not be subsumed by the government decree.

Uks, an Urdu word meaning "reflection", is a research, resource, and publication centre working on issues related to women and the media. Uks was formed and supported by a group of like-minded women that included journalists, human rights and women's rights activists and academics who felt that there was no forum where concerns regarding media women relationships could be raised and shared. From the beginning, Uks was concerned about the prevailing attitudes and values in Pakistani society regarding women's roles, and rights, and has wanted to change this to one of equal participation in all social, economic, and political processes as well as national and international development.