Awareness, Advocacy and Action: Promoting Safety of Journalists in Bangladesh
Project funded by UNESCO
Project period: April 2016 – October 2017
The News Network implemented the project, with financial support from the UNESCO, to make journalists more aware about safety measures and ensure a constructive engagement of concerned stakeholders, individuals and organizations involved in advocacy to create a safe field for journalists. The objectives of the project were: (i) strengthening the environment for press freedom, journalist’s safety and/or self-regulation, for on-line and/or off-line media, through favourable policies and/or practices; and (ii) promoting good governance and transparency by developing pluralistic media institutions, including community media, and by building capacities of the media professionals.
The project was implemented in the districts of Faridpur, Sylhet, Jessore and Satkhira. The key activities of the project were (i) raising the level of understanding of safety measures and improving capacity of journalists for reporting from danger zones;(ii) analysing cases of violence against journalists and examine how those could be avoided;(iii) training journalists to report on crimes against journalists;(iv) establishing a peer network for monitoring crimes against journalists and advocating journalists’ safety in Bangladesh. A total of 60 male and female journalists were trained up under the project.
News Network believes that journalists who participated in the programme would continue the initiative beyond the project period as part of their professional and social responsibility. They would also keep sharing their learning with their colleagues and friends.