'Keep space in newspapers for issues on adolescents'

They also asked for follow-up reporting on violence against adolescents specially girls to raise awareness and resist violence.

The two-day workshop titled 'Gender violence and adolescence report-writing orientation for local reporters' ended on December 23 at Mass-line Media Centre (MMC) Training Centre in the city.

MMC Executive Director Kamrul Hasan Monju formally inaugurated the workshop, organised by MMC and Action aid, Bangladesh.

Abdullah Al Mamun, programme manager of Manusher Jonno, while conducting a session in the workshop said gender based violence takes place throughout the life cycle including pre-natal, infancy, girlhood, adolescence and adulthood.

The forms of violence include sexual, physical, emotional, socio-economic, and harmful traditional practices, he added.

While discussing about the risks of adolescents, Fahmidul Haque, lecturer at the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, Dhaka University, said they easily get in touch with harmful people and dysfunctional family and proper guideline make them suffer.

Criticising the commercial advertisements of electronic media, he pointed out the adverse effects of reduced call rate of cellular phone at late night and urged media to report in a positive way to sensitise policy level in this regard.

Munmun Gulshan, project theme leader of Action Aid, Bangladesh, suggested a space to be allotted in the newspapers where adolescent health problems and solutions will be published.

She also urged media people to highlight the loopholes of women repression and gender violence related laws and policies in their reports.

A total 20 journalists from four districts including Dhaka, Comilla, Chittagong and Rangamati took part in the workshop.