Karachi, 20 June, 2012 – The first of its kind media workshop on the coverage of sensitive issues relating to children, including their exploitation, healthcare and rights was held on Wednesday at Sheraton Hotel in Karachi in which the Karachi Press Club announced the formation of a journalist forum against polio.

The focus of the workshop was to promote ethical reporting on issues relating to children who remain the most vulnerable segment of the society and remain exposed to victimization and harassment even in places considered safe for them.

One of the key issues highlighted by the speakers remained issues relating to their healthcare, especially polio, which continues to remain a major problem in Pakistan – one of the only three countries of the world where this disease continues to cripple children below the age of five years.

The workshop was organized by the the Karachi Press Club (KPC) in collaboration with Mishal Pakistan – a non-government organization working for creating awareness on critical issues relating to the media and journalistic ethics.

The speakers highlighted the fact that .in 2012 so far 22 polio cases have been reported in various parts of Pakistan with the highest number of victims hailing from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA where a total of 15 cases have been brought to the notice of authorities. In Sindh the number of reported polio cases is three, while in Balochistan and Punjab provinces two polio cases each have been reported. One of the major reasons for the polio cases in Sindh remains the influx of internally displaced people (IDPs), while in KP and FATA remains the continued conflict situation.

Speaking on the occasion, KPC President, Tahir Hasan Khan said that being the largest journalists’ club of the country, it has always taken initiatives for the training of media personnel and safeguarding the rights of citizens. He said that “Journalists Against Polio” will play their part in creating awareness regarding the alarming situation of growing number of Polio cases in the country.

“Pakistani media has to play its role in bringing issues like polio into public debate,” he said. “It has been researched that thousands of children missed their polio drops in the past couple of years with the worst-affected areas being in FATA and Baluchistan, a high number of IDPs influx into Sindh has resulted in increased number of Polio cases from Sindh especially in Karachi”.

Pakistan reported 198 polio cases in 2011, whereas 23 were in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 59 in FATA, 73 in Balochistan, 1 in Gilgit-Baltistan, 9 in Punjab and 33 in Sindh.

The trainers included senior journalist Amir Zia, Editor-Karachi The News International; Puruesh Chaudhary, Center for International Media Ethics (CIME) Ambassador to Pakistan; Amir Jahangir, CEO Mishal Pakistan; Dr. Shaukat Ali, UNICEF, Hameed Kashan from UNICEF Pakistan and Deputy Director Projects EPI Dr. Rizwana Memon.

Amir Zia while speaking on the occasion said that children issues should be covered with extreme care and sensitivity, ensuring their safety and privacy. He emphasized the role of a journalist in creating awareness and fighting myths which curbs basic child rights and even denies them basic immunizations including polio drops in many parts of Pakistan.

In the presentation on the Health Indicators, Amir Jahangir, CEO Mishal Pakistan and Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum shared the importance of health indicators and how journalists can benefit from the WHO’s World Health indicators, UN’s MDGs and World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index.

Puruesh Chaudhary, Ambassador to Pakistan from the Center for International Media Ethics, a Brussels based media think tank, highlighted the importance of media ethics in reporting on child-sensitive issues.

Mukhtar Alam, President Health Journalists Association of Pakistan on the occasion also shared his views and shared with the participants that the World Health Assembly declared Polio as a global emergency during the recently held meeting in Geneva, whereas the Government of Pakistan declared Polio as a national emergency in January 2011. He also welcomed the initiative of “Journalists Against Polio” and extended full support from the health journalists across Pakistan.

The “Journalists Against Polio” fourm was launched by the Peshawar Press Club president Saiful Islam Saifi earlier this month and the journalists from Quetta Press Club have also extended their cooperation.

The day-long workshop was attended by health journalists from leading publications, news channels and radio stations.