Munsalik, an Urdu word for connection, is Rozan’s media and advocacy unit that supports Rozan in its campaigning, networking and advocacy strategies. Munsalik acts as a bridge between Rozan’s thematic areas and the media.
In addition, Munsalik also sensitizes journalists to social issues with a special focus on gender. Statistics calculated on socially tabooed issues such as violence against women in Pakistan are often sourced from the media. Hence, any increase or decrease in the figures on such ills is often directly attributable to media’s own attention to the issue. The Media’s portrayal of social issues is often flawed in that they are typically under-represented, covered in ways that increase the vulnerability of survivors or further contribute to myths that surround these issues. The Media can also serve as a site where a counter discourse can emerge to challenge orthodox and regressive mindsets, and as such for Rozan the media is a critical group to engage in its struggle for social justice.Highlights:
- From 2007-2009, Munsalik worked with the vernacular press with a special focus on crime and crime and social beat reporters of six cities of Pakistan including Peshawar, Quetta, Abbotabad, Multan, Sukkur and Hyderabad. The project aimed at increasing sensitization to and skills on coverage of crimes against women and children, and journalists were trained through a sequential step by step process. In 2009, Munsalik organized a national seminar as part of its knowledge building exercise by providing an opportunity to the journalists of secondary towns to interact with the senior media and development personnel in order to discuss and further deepen their understanding on issues such as violence and social justice..
- In the wake of the 2010 floods, Munsalik launched a media fellowship program titled ‘Sohni Dharti Media Fellowship’ to re-focus media attention on floods and look deeper into discourse around water in Pakistan. More than thirty media fellows have been selected, trained and sensitized on issues around water and floods who have done individual projects through news reports, features, documentaries, articles and radio programs in national, local and international media.
