Speakers at an interaction programme on Role of Media in Support of ICPD Goals in Nepal on Thursday said that media could play an effective role on raising awareness on reproductive rights, child education, gender-based violence, access of health facilities and child and maternal mortality.
Although Nepal has signed on the programme of action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) to address sexual and reproductive health needs for men, women and young people, the country is yet to achieve significant progress in these areas.
They said that people had very limited information about sexual and reproductive health issues and, moreover, they were not getting the services as they have demanded. The programme was organised by Family Planning Association Nepal (FPAN).
Yogendra Karmacharya of Kavre branch said that media had done a great job in creating awareness.President of Sancharika Samuha Bandana Rana said that mostly media give priority to political issues than social issues. But social issues have found place in the media since the last five years. Violence against women has not increased to the extent that the media report them. Now media have been playing positive roles in not giving the identity of women, victims of violence.
In his paper Prateek Pradhan, chief editor of The Kathmandu Post said that at present Nepali media has become very sensitive to issues related to violence against women. He said that media provides voices to the voiceless, and creates public opinion to influence and pressurise the authority to fulfill the demands that generate from the grassroots. The paper also said that media had a crucial role in achieving the Programme of Action (PoA) set by the ICPD for the 20-year period.
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