Dowry & Silence of Civic Society as Reflected by the News Papers Media

a micro analysis of the invisibility of dowry as a gender issue in Pakistan by Dr. Rakhshinda Perveen

Hon. Executive Vice President, SACHET Founder Executive Director-AGEHI Resource Center

E.Mail: [email protected]

URL: www.sachet.org.pk

Context Gender, Media & Pakistan

Media in Pakistan

Dowry

HDI Rank: 127

E.Mail: [email protected]

GDI Rank=117

URL: www.sachet.org.pk

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What is Dowry?

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Implications?

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Micro study

Global Literature Review

•Dowry is a global Issue •Media is a Key Player •Country Strategies???

E.Mail: [email protected]

URL: www.sachet.org.pk

Salient feature at a glance

S.#

1

Salient Features

Total No. of Newspapers included in the 2 3 study Total No. of Urdu Newspapers included in the study Total No. of English Newspapers 4 5 Total No. of NEWS relatee to female issues Total No. of NEWs Related to Gender Based Violence

Number

06 04 02 206 113 E.Mail: [email protected]

URL: www.sachet.org.pk

S.#

Salient feature at a glance

(Continued) Salient Features Number

6 7 8 9 Total No. of News related to Dowry Issues Total Number of NEWS clips related to Dowry Issues in Urdu Newspapers Total No. of News related to Dowry issues in English Newspapers No. of Editorials related to Dowry Issues Zero 10 No. of articles related to Dowry Issues 23 17 06 04 11 Time Period of the study (May 2002) E.Mail: [email protected]

One month URL: www.sachet.org.pk

Consequences of Dowry

•Delayed Marriage •Unhappy Marriage •Bridal Burning

Immediate

•Stove Death •No Marriage E.Mail: [email protected]

URL: www.sachet.org.pk

Consequences of Dowry (Continued)

Gap Between Rich & Poor

↑

Corruption

↑ Delayed

High Social Cost Demonstration Effect

↑

Decay of Moral Values E.Mail: [email protected]

URL: www.sachet.org.pk

Newspapers

The News (English) •Coverage •Sensitivity •Priority E.Mail: [email protected]

Urdu The Nation (English) Vs Dawn (English)

English

Pakistan Observer (English) Khabrain (Urdu) Nawa I Waqt (Urdu) URL: www.sachet.org.pk

Conclusion

• Dowry & Dowry violence continue in the mid of silence of the media, NGOs & Policy Makers & other influential civic actors. It is being authenticated in the cover of religion, customs, traditions & community norms. The Newspaper media have yet to be familiar with dowry as a conventional, pertinent & prevailing gender issue & do justice to the coverage. However, media including newspaper media can not raise awareness and sensitization on dowry related issues until & unless the society breaks its muteness E.Mail: [email protected]

URL: www.sachet.org.pk

Conclusion (Continued)

• Scarcity of research on myriad aspects of dowry in Pakistan and the visible void between researchers and the media are also contributing towards the over sighting of an important gender issue like dowry. E.Mail: [email protected]

URL: www.sachet.org.pk

Recommendation

• Civic will.

Specific Suggestions

• Ministry of Women Development: Identify the social cost of dowry for Pakistani women. Keep dowry & dowry violence in the field of vision while developing & designing policy, plans, programs & projects for gender equality & women empowerment.

E.Mail: [email protected]

URL: www.sachet.org.pk

Recommendation

Specific Suggestions (continued)

• Ministry of Education: all educational institutions should be directed to include topics like marriage customs, norms, laws etc. in essay writing, speech, drama & poetry contests to create awareness & sensitize the youth on these issues.

• Ministry of Health : identify the healthy risks and cost of dowry-related violence. Project dowry as a public health issue. E.Mail: [email protected]

URL: www.sachet.org.pk

Recommendation

Specific Suggestions (continued)

• Ministry of Law & Justice : Review & revise Dowry Restriction Act 1976. Take measures to facilitate the reporting & registration of dowry violence as a distinct entity.

E.Mail: [email protected]

URL: www.sachet.org.pk

Recommendation

Specific Suggestions (continued )

Ministry of Information & Media Group:

•

the ministry of information may issue a directive to all the owners and heads of TV and radio channels and print media to allocate a special space for gender-based violence including dowry-related violence

•

invest in the training of journalists so that they can identify & analyze local issues

•

Train journalists for reporting & presenting issues of GBV including dowry.

•

Make arrangements for facilitating the access of journalists to the relevant research material.

•

Promote austerity in marriages, discourage dowry,disseminate information about dowry violence & medical & legal aid through all forms of media

E.Mail: [email protected]

URL: www.sachet.org.pk

Recommendation

Specific Suggestions (continued)

Ministry of Population, NIPS & PAP

• conduct exploratory studies to identify the influence of dowry practice on son son preference, perception of Pakistani youth regarding dowry & related violence.

• Allocate Resources for capacity building of journalists.

•

PAP

: Initiate a scientific journal focused on local population issues.

• Initiate a political will and commitment for dowry violence and other gender issues with population implications by involving& subsequently educating the parliamentarians.

E.Mail: [email protected]

URL: www.sachet.org.pk

THANK YOU

E.Mail: [email protected]

URL: www.sachet.org.pk

FIGHT Against Dowry

An Advocacy project of AGEHI Resource Center-SACHET 2001

Television Series Recording Tentative Transmission in January 2002 Khawateen Time