LAHORE: A two-day workshop on media sensitisation to child marriages ended on Wednesday.

The workshop was organised by Rahnuma-FPAP and Plan International Pakistan and aimed at training media men so that they could play a better role in helping to raise awareness especially on the issue of child marriage.

Rahnuma-FPAP in partnership with Plan Pakistan is currently working on implementing the Pakistan Child Marriage (Prevention) Initiative- (PCMI) project with the aim of first delaying and finally completely preventing child marriages.

The plan is being initiated in Muzaffargarh, Rajanpur and Vehari districts of south Punjab.

Financial and technical support by the Swedish Postcode Lottery, through Plan Sweden National Office has been the driving force behind the project.

Syed Kamal Shah (CEO, R-FPAP) gave an introduction about Rahnuma and its history. Sofia Naveed from Plan Pakistan said they had derived the PCMI project from its Asia Child Marriage Prevention Initiative (ACMI) under the international campaign for girls’ rights i.e., “Because I Am A Girl” (BIAAG).

She said the Plan Pakistan was following the Child Centered Community Development (CCCD) approach, and was fully committed to work in partnerships for the fulfillment of children’s rights. Hence the project of child marriage is being implemented in partnership with Rahnuma-FPAP.

In an effort to address community perceptions of child marriage and a lack of awareness about its associated health risks, a two-day workshop for media personnel was organised to highlight the risks at a massive scale.

Media experts including Mr. Wasif Nagi (Jang), Nabila Malick (director, advocacy FPAP) and Salman Abid (media and public policy adviser) facilitated the workshop.

Journalists from major leading media houses participated in the workshop. Through interactive lecturers and group work, the participants were trained to make effective reporting on the incidents of child marriage and in case of violation of other child rights.

Nabila Malik said if civil society and journalists worked together they could address the child marriage issue properly.

The workshop helped journalists to understand the wide impact of child marriage and the importance of impartial, unprejudiced coverage without giving in to yellow journalism.

The participating journalists were told of the necessity to end child marriage in order to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and about the need for better coverage on the issue, especially in rural areas.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd , 2014