Concern over the shrinking of press freedom in Bangladesh, particularly on the digital platforms, was expressed at the global conference held on World Press Freedom Day. The conference took place from Monday to Wednesday in Uruguay.
Around 1,000 participants from 86 countries at the conference discussed the state of press freedom around the world. Around 3,400 persons applied to join this three-day conference comprising over 60 sessions, online and offline, according to a press release issued on Saturday.
The release said that this conference was an effective platform for stakeholders who were working to uphold press freedom in various places around the world.
One of the major objectives of this conference was to find solutions to the serious challenges to media in this digital age and also to tackle the threats, which had arisen due to increased surveillance. At the conference, concern was expressed over the security of journalists in Bangladesh and the threats faced by the media.
This year Bangladesh fell 10 places to the 162nd rank among 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders
Article 19 at the conference released a report, 'Equally Safe: Towards a Feminist Approach to the Safety of Journalism'.
Taking part in the discussion, Supreme Court lawyer from Bangladesh, Sara Hossain, said, that the absence of regulatory guidelines for women in South Asian media is a challenge. When there are no frameworks like 'sexual harassment policies' , then the culture of impunity festers. Legal aid is necessary for journalists, but they can't just depend on pro bono legal assistance. Legal aid must be a compulsory benefit in newsrooms, she said.
This year Bangladesh fell 10 places to the 162nd rank among 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders on Tuesday. Last year Bangladesh ranked at 152. Article 19 expressed concern at this deteriorating position of Bangladesh in the index.
Regional director (South Asia) of Article 19, Faruq Faisel, said UNESCO's theme this year for World Press Freedom Day is 'Journalism under digital siege' and Bangladesh is one of the worst example of this theme at this point.
Faruq Faisel went on to say that the concerned minister's rejecting steps by the international community or the report is no solution. It is the responsibility of the government to closely study the problems raised in the index and take steps accordingly.
Article 19 called upon the government organisations, media establishments and concerned stakeholders to follow the global resolution, declaration and commitment regarding the security of journalists and media persons.
The media rights campaigner also called for a safe and enabling environment for journalists both online and offline.