Freedom Forum held a 3-day Orientation Workshop on Freedom of Expression and Gender Content Monitoring from April 1-3, 2018 in Kathmandu. The workshop was organized with aim to orient its representative from seven provinces on monitoring of media contents through gender perspectives and sensitize them on broader areas of Freedom of Expression, Right to Information, Internet Freedom, Human Rights protection and impunity against journalist.
Bikram Niraula (Province 1), Rajan Singh (Province 2), Ram Mani Dahal and Ashok Dahal (Province 3), Rajan Upadhyay (Province 4), Sudeep Gautam (Province 5) and Laxmi Bhandari (Province 6) were the participants at the orientation.
The workshop held in capital city included two- day gender content monitoring workshop and one-day orientation on Freedom of Expression.
FF’s Media Monitoring Officer facilitated the workshop while, Gender Content Monitoring sessions were led by Gender Monitoring Officer Nanu Maiya Khadka. Likewise, FoE monitoring sessions were led by Legal Officer Ashmita Pokharel.
On the first two days, provincial representatives were oriented on practices of detail tools and methodologies of media contents monitoring while, on the third day they were well acquainted about various areas of FoE.
Participants were also provided orientation on RTI Nepal App and Impunity cases of media persons through a Documentary show. The Documentary and RTI Nepal App have been produced by FF. The session was facilitated by M&E Officer Pramod Bhattarai.
Sharing their previous experiences, participants said FF’s intervention on FoE monitoring through provincial representative have made them more responsible at their own provinces and helped to build network with all the concerned stakeholders. Meanwhile, sharing their feedbacks upon the workshop Ram Mani Dahal from Province 3 said that now he is well aware about the gender inclusion in media and expressed his commitment towards contributing to minimize existing gender imbalance in media at their own provinces.
On the other hand, Laxmi Bhandari from Province 6 shared that if the orientation was held before she would have done her Thesis of Master’s Program on this issue.
Concluding the workshop, Executive Chief Tara Nath Dahal informed participants about FF’s aim to engage and strengthen its representatives on broader issues of FoE and gender equality thus, making them champions at their provinces.
The workshop is specially held to make stringers well aware about the possible areas of FoE monitoring and transfer knowledge about the content based monitoring of media through gender perspectives, Mr. Dahal stressed.
The workshop was organized as part of the activity of the project “, Enabling conducive atmosphere for free, safe and inclusive media (ECAFSIM)”, funded by Free press Unlimited, a foundation based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, working on FoE issues around the world.