Funding for journalists to promote investigative Reporting

To promote people-based-journalism, The Network for Consumer Protection (an NGO) invites story ideas from journalists working in the Urdu and other regional languages newspapers to do investigative reporting on the issues related to human rights violations women rights, children rights, labour rights, police torture, minorities and prisoners rights, campaign against capital punishment, honour killing, karo kari and consumer rights etc.
The Network will provide funds between Rs 1,000/= to Rs10,000/= to the individual journalists covering the cost of travel and other related opportunity costs etc. Interested journalists should send their applications carrying, story idea, expected cost, how they plan to do the research, and a letter from the editor that the idea is good and s/he would publish it along with complete bio-data to:

The Coordinator, Human Rights Training
The Network for Consumer Protection
40-A, Ramazan Plaza,
G-9 Markaz, Islamabad
Fax 051-2262495
e-mail: humanrights@thenetwork.org.pk
 

The Network for Consumer Protection in collaboration with the British High Commission Islamabad arranged a series of workshops to promote newspaper reportage of human rights issues in the country.

During three months of June-July, 2003, four workshops were held in four cities of Hydrabad, Peshawar, Multan and Sargodha. Where a total of 111 journalists from vernacular press underwent two days training. Later 34 of them were selected and were taken to Murree for 3 further training.

In the regional workshop not only journalists from the same city but also from far flung areas participated. Like in Hydrabad, journalists from Sukkur, UmerKot, Larkana etc; In Peshawar from Federally Administered Tribal Areas, and Provincially administered Tribal Areas etc; in Multan from Muzaffargarh, Dera Ghazi Khan etc; and in Sargodha from Bakkar, Khushab etc took active part.

Follow up Activities:
As a six month follow up, an investigative journalism fund has been established to motivate and encourage journalists to do investigative reporting. A committee is formed to select and fund the journalists research. Besides, to fund even those journalists who are not part of the training programmes, a wide ranged publicity is being carried out.
A parallel competition is going on to award attractive first second, third prizes to the best human rights story writers. The prizes respectively are computer and mobile phones.
A web based journalists network on human rights has been created.
A training manual for Urdu journalists on human rights has been prepared and soon will be launched.

Methods of the training and topics covered:
During the training ‘interactive methods’ were used in which the resource persons consisted of journalists and lawyers involved the trainees in the discussions. Besides, multi-media was used to keep participants attention focused on the topic.
The issues covered in the preliminary two day trainings include brain storming, in which participants were asked to write a single value which, in their point of view, reflect a human right. Similarly, each one of them was also asked to mention a negative value reflecting violation of basic human rights. Later, they were separately required to note down one of the local human right issues and its best possible solution.
In the session on “Globalisation of Human Rights”, it was explained that the rights of women, children and labor etc are global issues. The violation of the rights of women, children and labor were no more local issues rather they formed part of major global issues. Also were explained the UN conventions and protocols on the rights of women, children and labor. And that these conventions are ratified by the federal cabinet and never presented in the national assembly for debate. Some of the conventions singed by Islamabad actually fall under the preview of provinces. Provinces have never been consulted before signing such conventions. Rather, they are only given concept papers to implement them. This anomaly resulted in non-implementation of such conventions on the part of provincial governments which resultantly added to the human right violations in Pakistan.
To enhance the capacity of the journalists in the arena of reporting a session of “Investigative Reporting” with special reference to investigating human right issues was also incorporated as part of the training. Any story carrying half truth could instigate human right violations or lead to strengthen the anti human right traditional taboos. Investigative reporting could not flourish in the country because of the trend of statement journalism. A lot of research and leg work was required to investigate truth and facts involved in a story of human right violations. Human sources including losers, friends, enemies, victims, police and experts relating to a particular story are of great significance to investigate facts and come up with a flawless news story. While writing an investigative news story, theme should be written clearly so that readers understand it easily.

Consumer Rights:
The importance of consumers, the approach of consumerism, rights of consumers and various laws and regulations protecting the rights of consumers was also a theme. The participants were told that consumers were the largest group of economy and that the development of a country by and large depends on the consumption pattern and people’s power to consume excessively. People were not only the buyers, rather, being users of products they required some protection. Consumers were a weaker party because due to massive advertisement campaigns they always confront dilemma either to purchase locally made products or imported items produced by MNCs. In Pakistan, there were no sufficient laws for consumer’s protection and which ever laws were existed these were not implemented properly. Because of lengthy procedures, flaws in the justice system people do not prefer going to the courts even if they have some genuine complaints against sub-standard products. Though Pakistan is a signatory to the UN charter on consumer rights, the same has yet to be implemented. India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and certain other Asian countries have managed to adopt effective consumer protection laws. The laws already enacted by Pakistan needed to be re-defined

International Criminal Court:
An overview of the leading human rights bodies and evolution towards ICC and why Pakistan should be becoming a party to it. The focus was that an individual could now go to ICC complaining of a heinous crime committed by a state functionary.

Reporting of Human Rights Issue an overview:
Approach of a reporter towards human rights issues of women, minorities, police excesses, children, labour, prisoners etc . Selection of news items - A reporter attends to human rights issues or not.
Police excesses - registration of false cases, non-registration of cases, under-reporting of crime, police brutality and torture, illegal confinement, violence and death in custody.
Jails - state of prisoners, over-crowded jails, juvenile prisoners, women prisoners.
Courts - Pending cases, non-availability of legal assistance to the poor, influence of pressure groups.
Constitution of Pakistan Article 3, 5, 10, 11, 12 and 14 guarantees human rights. These include: “No person who is arrested shall be detained in custody without being informed, as soon as may be, of the grounds for such arrest, nor shall be denied the right to consult and be defended by a legal practitioner of his choice Article 10(1): Every person who is arrested and detained in custody shall be produced before a magistrate within a period of twenty-four hours of such arrest Article 10(2)
The dignity of man and, subject to law, the privacy of home, shall be inviolable. Article 14(1)
No person shall be subjected to torture for the purpose of extracting evidence Article 14(2)
Every once charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty according to law in a public at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence Article 11(1)

Extra-legal killing or Police encounters:
In 2002, 236 people were killed in 154 police encounters and 54 policemen lost their lives in such incidents. Killings of under-trails; The revenge factor; The glory factor; The record improvement factor.
Longs lists of crimes are attributed to those killed in such encounters to elicit public sympathy to the extent that questions of due process of law become secondary. This helps police to close many files of crimes.
Close scrutiny of police claims required – visit to the place of encounter, eyewitnesses, circumstantial evidence, post-mortem report, close look at the crimes attributed to the dead.
Women - rape, acid-throwing, incest, kara kari or honour killing, cutting of nose, sexual abuse, sexual harassment, stove-killing, discrimination on sex basis, false adultery charges, marriage of own will, kidnapping, forced marriages, tribal justice, parading women naked, marriage as compensation of murder (wani), trafficking and sale
All citizens are equal before law and are entitled to equal protection of law Article 25
There shall be no discrimination on the basis of sex alone Article 25
No citizen otherwise qualified for appointment in the service of Pakistan shall be discriminated against in respect of any such appointment on the ground of only of sex. Article 27
Steps shall be taken to ensure full participation of women in all spheres of national life Article 35
The state shall protect the marriage, the family, the mother..
The state shall …(ensure) that ---women are not employed in vocations unsuited to their sex Article 37
Children - sexual and physical abuse, child labour, trafficking ( camel kids), children behind bars
No child below the age of 14 shall be engaged in any factory or mine or any other hazardous employment Article 11(3)
The state shall protect the marriage, the family, the mother and the child.
The state shall make provisions for – ensuring that children – are not employed in vocations unsuited to their age Article 37(e)
Minorities - 295(c) and 295(b), blasphemy law, conversion (one hundred Christians converted), acts of violence, right to vote, freedom of expression
Article 20 of the Constitution – Subject to law, public order and morality (a) every citizen shall have the right to perform, practice and propagate his religion; and (b) every religious denomination and every sect thereof shall have the right to establish, maintain and manage its religious institutions.
Labour - unemployment, bonded labour, downsizing, economic suicides, tenants rights, hazardous workplace, domestic labour, human smuggling
Slavery is non-existent and forbidden and no law shall permit or facilitate its introduction into Pakistan in any form. All forms of forced labour and traffic in human beings are prohibited. Article 11 (1-3)
All forms of forced labour or traffic in human being are prohibited Article 11 (1-3)
Every citizen have the right to form associations or unions, subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interest of sovereignty or integrity of Pakistan, public order or morality Article 17(1)
The state shall make provision for securing just and humane conditions of work Article 37( c)
The state shall secure well being of people Article 38 (a) to (e)
Treatment of story: Professionalism, Intro Ws and H, Follow-up, Attributes, Accuracy, Police and private versions, FIR contents, Witnesses, Age, time, exact location, Human angle, Neutrality and objectivity, Background etc.

Coverage of women’s issues in media: how can this be improved?
This session is supposed to examine how women’s issues are covered in the media, and how this can be improved. Let’s first remind ourselves of what our job as journalists is. Mainly, it is to inform, as factually and impartially as possible.
However, the traditionally accepted wisdom is that journalists have to be ‘objective’ is neither an achievable, nor necessarily a desirable goal. We are part of this society, we have our personal baggage, opinions, biases, prejudices and political affiliations – so is it fair to pretend that we are being objective?
Philippine media trainer and editor Vergel Santos advises his students: “Forget objectivity, focus on fairness.” In the end, as the Nepali journalist Kunda Dixit points out, it comes down to tone – does the article ‘come on too strong’ and sound like a harangue, or is it well argued, convincing, accurate, and above all, fair?

What are ‘women’s issues’? How are they covered?
These basic rules of journalism apply equally to how we report on ‘women’s rights’ or ‘women’s issues’, which actually cannot be separated from the overall political issues facing society.
One of these political issues is how religion is used or misused, and how women have become scapegoats in the process. An example is the equation of women with ‘obscenity’ and ‘vulgarity’. Just showing their faces on advertising billboards has been termed obscene by a group of militants. Many of them attacked advertising billboards in Peshawar, Lahore and Karachi, blacking out the faces of the women who were shown on these billboards. What message do such actions convey? How does the press report it?
Personally, one might object to the way women are projected in advertisements – even advertisements for products meant for women are geared at men, and often women are put in ads that don’t need their presence. But let’s put it in perspective. Is the very picture of a woman on a billboard is ‘vulgar’ or ‘obscene’? Is this more harmful to society than the violence, and images of violence, that are allowed unchecked? Is the best way to protect women really to keep them indoors? Should women not have a say in how they want to live and be perceived? Does this kind of thinking affect only women, or does it impact all of society in other ways?
Evidence of the mentality that leads to such vigilantism is visible all around us. Should a woman’s head should be covered or not – this non-issue has been made into a major issue since the time of Gen. Zia. The view that women are somehow responsible for the harm that comes to them absolves men who perpetuate violence, of any responsibility. It is also visible in newspaper and television reports, not just in the reporting, but also in how stories are subbed and edited, placed and treated.
Crime reporting, by its very nature of covering often sensational cases, is especially prone to such biases, if not at the hands of the reporter, then the desk. Often such reporting reinforces the mentality which places the blame for rape on the victim (what she was wearing, what she was doing), and which tacitly justifies the murders of women (by paying undue attention to a female victim’s lifestyle, especially if she was living alone or had obtained a divorce; in contrast, a man’s character is seldom questioned or connected to the murder).
A reporter from Jang, for example, mentions a friend who is a local judge, who confessed he used to decide cases involving women on the basis of people’s opinions about their character. When pressed, he admitted that he did not consider character when dealing with men’s cases.
Often, the murderer’s contention that it was an ‘honour killing’ is allowed to go unchallenged, although investigations reveal that most so-called ‘honour killings’ are actually pre-meditated cold blooded murders, and should be treated as such by law enforcing agencies as well as the media. Should we continue to call them ‘honour killings’, when they have nothing to do with honour, but everything to do with power and crime?
Photographers go out of their way to take pictures of a woman smoking at a seminar, or to snap ‘pretty guest at reception’ or ‘at art gallery’; women at protest demonstrations and processions are pulled into the front line to be photographed (some of them are only too happy to oblige, of course) – no corresponding pictures of men are sought out. Most times, their permission is not sought, and they are presented as nameless objects.
Fashion pages can also be criticized for reducing women to showpieces and commodities – however, they can also be defended for empowering women and enabling them to break out of stereotypes. These fashion pages may not be representative of the majority of women but then neither are the kind of women we see in television dramas and in the cinema.
Such biases are perhaps inevitable anywhere. But in professions like ours, there is a greater need to be aware of them and to combat them.
There is a need to allow ordinary women a space in the media, to give them a voice, without judging them as ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Show the reality.
Newspapers have played a largely positive role in raising the issue of violence against women, by reporting these cases, whether it is Karo Kari or acid attacks or domestic violence. However, all too often, such cases are reported in such a way that the blame is somehow pinned on the victim. Also, in rape cases, the Lahore High Court ruling that a rape victim’s photo and identity should not be made public, is often ignored.
The good news is that negative reporting about women is far outweighed by positive and the supportive reports.
A recent major example is the Meerwala case, which became such a huge issue. Originally the case was reported on the inside pages of a regional newspaper. It was picked up later by big city newspapers, and then by the international media, after which the government sat up to take notice. This case is also a good example of how a journalist, as an individual, can effect positive change: a local journalist found out about this case from the masjid khateeb who condemned it in the Friday prayers. He found that the woman did not want to speak about her ordeal, but he convinced her to.
The downside is that cases of similar magnitude take place daily, and are often relegated to the inside pages without being taken up like the Meerwala case was. Also, there is often not enough follow-up to such cases. The media have a tendency to splash an issue, but then move on to the next one, leaving the first victim exposed and vulnerable. What is happening now, to the victim? Has justice been done?

Resource Persons:
1- Mr. Nadeem Iqbal
Coordinator of these advance training workshops is a correspondent and coordinator of The News (on Sunday) in Islamabad. He also works for leading monthly magazine the Newsline and Inter Press Service - the world's leading provider of information on global developmental issues.
He holds master's degree in English literature from Punjab University and has been extensively writing on human rights issues, environment, nuclear and other issues of public safety. He is an alumni of Sri Lanka based Regional Center for Cooperative Security and Germany's International Academy of Leadership. Nadeem is recipient of federal government 'Green Journalist Award' for two consecutive years -2002 and 2003.
Contact info:
#562, Street 99, G-9/4
Islamabad Tel-051-2261337, 2850464, Cell 0333-5126506
nadympak@hotmail.com
nadym@isb.paknet.com.pk

2- Mr. Nadir Altaf
He is a respected Advocate of High Court. He has done his masters in Business and Trade Law from Netherlands and presently working with TheNetwork for Consumer Protection on Law and Governance matters. He is supervising 4 projects namely Consumer Policy and legislation, Consumer Complaint Cell, Governance and WTO Watch Group.
Contact info:
TheNetwork For Consumer Protection
40 A Ramzan Plaza, G-9 Markaz, Islamabad
Tel (Off) 051-2261085, (h) 2282914
nadir@thenetwork.org.pk

3- Mr. Adnan Adil
Mr. Adil has been a journalist for last 13 years. He is currently working as a correspondent in Lahore for BBC Urdu Online and BBC Urdu radio. Previously he has been working for Weekly Independent, daily The News, weekly The Friday Times, monthly Newsline and weekly Viewpoint. He also worked in the United States in a daily newspaper, the Pioneer Press, in 1998. Democratic development, government and politics and human rights issues are his special areas of interest. Adnan Adil has several investigative reports to his credit.
Contact info:
Tel: 0320-4426336, 0300-8402624
Adnan_adil@hotmail.com

4- Ms. Maria Sultan
Maria Sultan is a journalist with an extensive experience of working in Newspaper (The Muslim), TV and Radio. She holds M.Phil in Defence and Strategic Studies and currently doing her Phd at the Department of Peace Studies, Bradford University. Ms Sultan has a deep understanding of the working of UN system and international human rights conventions and bodies like international criminal court. She has been a guest lecturer in Department of Defence and Strategic Studies, Quaid-e-Azam University, National Defense Staff College, Lahore; Department of International Relations, Peshawar University and is a Faculty member, Pakistan Foreign Service Academy.
Contact info:
#21, St 28, F-8/1, Islamabad.
Tel: 0300-9563043, 051-2256537
mariasultan1@hotmail.com

5- Mr. Intikhab Amir
He is based in Peshawar and working for the daily Dawn as staff correspondent.
Contact info:
1st floor, State Life Building, The Mall, Peshawar Cantt 25000
Tel: 091-279971-74
intijournalist@yahoo.com

6- Mr. Jami Chandio
Jami is a leading scholar of Sindh. He served as editor Ibrat and is currently associated with a Sindhi TV channel KTN.
Contact info:
Address 5-1, Saba Avenue, Nasim Naqar, Qasimabad, Hydrabad. Tel : 0300-3013436
jami8195@hotmail.com

7-Mr. M. Sarwar Munir Rao
Mr. Sawar Munir Rao is a media expert with a professional career in Pakistan Television spanning over 27 years. He is serving Pakistan Television as Controller News. Prior to this position he served PTV as General Manager, PTV Islamabad Centre, Director International Relations, Chief Reporter Pakistan Television and Senior News Editor. He is MA in Political Science, History, Islamic Studies, Journalism and LLB.
Mr. Sarwar Munir Rao has won many awards including: "Best PTV News Reporter for the decade 1987-1997", "PTV Journalists Association Best Reporter Award", "PTV News Incentive Award". He is founder of "ON-CAMERA REPORTING" in PTV. He has the experience of covering the engagements of the President, Prime Minister and other dignitaries at home and abroad. Apart from parliamentary, diplomatic, political and social reporting, he covered "Somalian Civil War", "Gulf war 1991" and "Indian plane hijacking - Afghanistan -Qandhar". During the recent Iraq War his courageous reporting from the war zone was unprecedented.
Contact info:
Controller News
Pakistan Television
Islamabad Centre
Tel: 0300-8544447, 051-9215602

8- Ms. Beena Sarwar
Television Producer with Geo News; formerly Editor of The News on Sunday, and Features Editor of The Frontier Post before that. Areas of interest include media, women's rights, human rights. Have written extensively on the issue of women's representation in the media for several publications. Active in the women's rights and human right's movements in Pakistan.
Contact info:
F-25/D, Block 9
Clifton, Karachi
Tel: 0300-9285237
Beena_sarwar@hotmail.com

9- Mr. Zafarullah Khan
Mr. Khan is Project Coordinator, Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung, Pakistan since October 2000. Earlier he worked for country’s leading newspapers/magazines and as host for Pakistan Television’s breakfast show, “NEWS MORNING.” Mr. Khan authored Pakistan State of Media Report (1995-2002), and State of Political Parties in Pakistan (2002). He was Scholar of Peace-2001 of WISCOMP (Women in Security Conflict Management and Peace). Mr. Khan holds a masters degree in media and communication from London School of Economic (United Kingdom)
Contact info:
# 40, Street 27, F-6/2
Islamabad-
Tel: 0300-8540172
zafarullah.khan@pakistan.fnst.org

10- Mr. Aslam Khaki
He is an Islamabad based lawyers and expert on Islamic view of human rights. He is also consultant with the Federal Shariat court.
Contact info:
051-2104828

11-Ms. Evelyn Balais Serrano
Asia Coordinator
Coalition for the International Criminal Court
C/O Forum Asia
109 Suthisarmnwinichai Rd. Samsennok, Huaykwang
Bangkok 10320, Thailand
Tel (662) 2769846-7
evelyn@forumasia.org

12- Dr. Ahmed Ziauddin
Convener
Asian Network for the International Criminal Court
60, Maisstraat, 9000 Gent, Belgium
tel +32(0) 9 2370567 Cell 0476 981350

13- Dr. Ghulam Murtaza Azad
Director General
Council of Islamic Ideology, Islamabad