Pakistan women journalists stand in All members of IFJ’s Women Media Forum, Pakistan (WMFP) stand in solidarity with their colleagues in Switzerland. Members of WMFP also shared #Nowomennonews2023 with women journalists
Women journalists all over the world work in bad conditions without speaking up, it is time for us all to unite and demand better working conditions at least.
Just like in Switzerland, Pakistani women journalists have been demanding similar rights over the years including but not restricted to the right to better protection against harassment; equal pay; reconciliation between work, family, and mental health; women in positions of responsibility and no sexism, no racism, and more diversity in the media.
With the increase in broadcast channels over the last 22 years, more women have joined the media, but little has changed, women are still targeted and face harassment both online and offline. There are only a few women in decision-making positions in the media and they are still made less for the same work compared to male colleagues.
Online harassment and threats peaked during Covid after journalists questioned the government, the main targets of these attacks were prominent social media users mainly women journalists. It caused a backlash and women journalists ran a petition campaign against these attacks which was signed by more than 120 journalists as well as media unions and civil society representatives.
A delegation of women journalists took this signed petition to the Standing Committee for Human Rights of the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament. Promises were made by the Committee members but after two years the promises have not been followed up. This led to many women journalists censuring themselves online or leaving social media altogether.
Few women hold decision-making positions in media organizations, unions, and press clubs. Farzana Ali has held her fort as bureau chief in Aaj News Peshawar and Bushra Qamar was the first bureau chief in Quetta – both regions are sensitive and tough. Sheher Bano was the first woman vice president of the Pakistan Union of Journalists (PFUJ). Shazia Hasan is the former vice president of the Karachi Press Club (KPC); Kulsoom Jahan is currently governing body member of KPC. Myra Imran is the vice president of the National Press Club Islamabad; Sehrish Khokar is the secretary of finance (treasurer) of the Sukkur Press Club in Sindh.
Many women are members of the governing bodies of different media associations and unions, but this number needs to increase.
WMFP is a network of working journalists in Pakistan that emerged after IFJ-AP launched the gender component IFJ-NED Project – Promoting Labour Rights, Gender Equality, and Freedom of Association in Pakistan’s Media in 2021. Several events – both online and offline – were organized under the gender component including consultative meetings between the stakeholders in the media and affiliates like civil society, human and labour rights defenders, organization working providing skills and training workshops for journalists and legal experts.
A series of Gender Equality, Equity and Safety workshops were conducted in different cities in coloration with the press clubs. Apart from this, a mentoring program was also conducted in two phases under which more than 50 women journalists across Pakistan were mentored by partner organizations working with IFJ. Gender mapping in Pakistan was also conducted under this programme.
As the number of women journalists connected with each other across the country, it was only natural a network would emerge – WMFP was this network. WMFP has five regional coordinators in major cities of all provinces who connect with the local journalists – Romisa Shah, Quetta, Balochistan (Tweets @ShahRomisa); Rooba Urooj, Lahore, Punjab (Tweets @roobaquotes); Sheema Siddiqi, Karachi, Sindh (Tweets @sheeema); Rashida Shoaib, Islamabad Capital Territory (Tweets @rashidakianigeo) and Farzana Ali, Peshawar, Khyber Pukhtunkhwa (Tweets @farzanaalispark).
IFJ’s Pakistan Gender Coordinator – Lubna Jerar Naqvi (Tweets @raiseqalam– coordinates and facilities the WMFP coordinators. WMFP conducts a fortnightly Twitter Space @WMFPAK in which different issues faced by the media are discussed with experts.
