Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC) organised an online training on “Ensuring Gender Equality in the Digital Transformation Process: Community Radio Broadcasting to Address Gender-based Violence through Technology” on Wednesday.
This training took place with the aims to increase public awareness and strengthen the role of relevant stakeholders, including public and private institutions, technology institutions, civic organisations, law enforcement agencies, public representatives, policymakers, and media, in preventing gender-based violence with the help of technology, read a press release.
Moreover, the training aims to ensure gender equality in the digital transformation process, to educate community radio broadcasters about tackling gender-based violence through technology, stakeholders such as governments, technology companies, regulatory commissions, media, and civil society organisations, including community radio.
To shed light on and encourage radio broadcasters to take effective action in determining what community radio should do. A total of 42 station managers and broadcasters of 19 community radios and two community online radios of the country participated in the training of facilitators.
Participating radio stations and broadcasters are- Shahnaz Parveen, station manager and Asadur Rahman, Community Radio Padma 99.2FM, Rajshahi), Salim Shariar, station manager, and Pratima Rani, program producer(Community Radio Nalta 99.2FM Kaliganj, Satkhira), Monir Hossain Kamal, senior station manager and Salman, program producer (Community Radio 99.2FM, Barguna), Mehedi Hasan, senior station manager, and Md Al-Amin, program producer (Community Radio Pallikantha 99.2FM, Moulvibazar), Sanjay Chowdhury, station manager and Nayan Hasan, Assistant Program Producer (Community Radio Sagargiri 99.2FM Sitakunda, Chittagong), Allaya Ferdous, station manager and Md Nayan Ali, assistant program producer (Community Radio Mahananda 98.8FM, Chapainawabganj), Ariful Islam Chowdhury, station manager and Nadia Akhter, assistant program producer (Community Radio Mukti 99.2 FM, Bogra), Bashir Ahmed, station manager and Humaira Hena, assistant program producer (Community Radio Chilmari 99.2FM, Chilmari, Kurigram), Miraj Hossain, station manager, and Md Shakeel Ahmed, program producer (Community Radio Jhinook 99.2FM, Jhinaidah), Sajedul Islam, station manager and Shamim Mridha, program producer (Community Agriculture Radio 99.8FM, Amtali, Barguna), Mahfuza Akhter Munni, assistant program producer and Abdul Aziz, assistant program producer (Community Radio Naf 99.2 FM Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar The training mainly discussed what technology-assisted gender-based violence is, its types and impacts, and what stakeholders such as governments, technology companies, regulatory commissions, media, and civil society organisations, including community radio and digital transformation, can do to prevent technology-assisted gender-based violence.
The keynote session was moderated by AHM Bazlur Rahman, chief executive officer, BNNRC and Hiren Pandit, coordinator, BNNRC.
In an open discussion session on “Ensuring Gender Equality in the Digital Transformation Process: Broadcasting Community Radio” to Combat Gender-Based Violence through Technology, participants discussed their actions and action plans.
Notable activities proposed by them include the organisation of orientation workshops on gender relations and development and technology-enabled combating gender-based violence with the participation of all broadcasters at the radio station level, ongoing activities of radio such as live programmes, courtyard meetings, listener’s; clubs, talk shows, PSNs, providing awareness information to prevent gender-based violence with the help of technology in magazines, Natika, radio spots, etc, to various stakeholders at the local level such as public-private organisations, service-providing civic organisations, law enforcement agencies, public representatives, youth organisation representatives, teachers, parents etc organising dialogues with participants and adding them to radio programmes, as well as promoting awareness reels, videos, posts and interviews on prevention of gender-based violence with the help of technology on radio and social media.
It is hoped that through the training of facilitators, a total of 42 station managers and CNI broadcasters participating in 19 community radios and two community online radios in the country will gain an understanding of “Gender Equality in the Digital Transformation Process: Countering Gender-based Violence” with the help of technology which will help them Will be aware and efficient at the individual level.
Besides, through these 42 broadcasters, awareness will be created among other radio-related people.
Apart from this, by determining the action plan for community radio and implementing it, widespread public awareness will be made to prevent gender-based violence with the help of technology at the community level.
BNNRC has launched campaigns at national and regional levels to create awareness of technology-enabled gender-based violence.
Also, with the help of technology, preparation of various materials on gender-based violence prevention and countermeasures and distribution to multiple institutions, including related stakeholders such as donor organisations, journalism and mass communication departments of public and private universities, non-governmental development organisations, and discussion regarding coordination with their ongoing activities.
Besides, a training module has been created that includes Legal Measures, Protection and Remedies, Measures to Support and Empower Survivors, Capacity Building, Including Other NGOs and Actors in the Criminal Justice System, Community Engagement and Education, Advocacy and Collective Action, Partnership and Collaboration Across Sectors, etc.
BNNRC is a media development organisation that has been working since 2000 and is registered with the NGO Affairs Bureau under the Office of the prime minister of the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.
It is a particular consultative United Nations Economic and Social Council organisation. It is the winner of the World Summit on Information Society United Nations Award 2016 and the champion of 2017 and 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2023 for its contribution to building the information society.
BNNRC works in knowledge-driven media development in the domestic, regional, and international arenas.
Its endeavour is to develop the media based on knowledge and ongoing issues, taking into account the challenges and opportunities of the rapidly changing reality of the media in Bangladesh, with the aim of ensuring the information rights, good governance, and human rights of the people living in rural townships.
