LAHORE, April 18: Participants in a workshop on “Reporting of violence against women in the national newspapers” have urged the media not to use inappropriate language and photographs while reporting such incidents.

The two-day workshop, organized by the ASR Resource Centre, concluded here on Friday. Students from the Mass Communication Department of the Punjab University, Kinnaird College, Lahore College for Women University and women journalists of various daily Urdu and English newspapers attended the workshop.

The participants noted that violence against women was a violation of human rights and human dignity, including the right to life, the right to liberty and the right to personal, mental and physical integrity, the right to equal protection before the law and the right to equality within the family.

They were of the view that the media could play a constructive and positive role in upholding women’s rights and creating awareness about the oppression of women in society.

Resource person Shazia Shaheen highlighted the growing trend of projecting women as a tool to sell products and a sex object in the print and electronic media.

The participants were also informed about the defamation laws and the connection between the right to privacy and freedom of speech. Majority of journalists, unaware of the defamatory laws, file stories that result in defamatory cases, it was noted.