The Sectoral Oversight Committee on Women and Gender is developing a code of conduct for media personnel in an attempt to control the harmful impact on women and children by the print and electronic media.
This was after taking into account the negative impact on the public by the manner in which women and children are portrayed in the print and electronic media.
The Oversight Committee chaired by UNP MP Dr. Thusitha Wijemanna held a special discussion in this regard at the Parliament complex on Tuesday.
With input from the Women and Child Affairs Ministry and the National Child Protection Authority, the Oversight Committee evaluated and classified recent newspaper reports, radio programmes, teledramas, reality shows, advertisements, cartoons, films, music videos and social media content to highlight their positive and negative impacts on women and children.
The explicit media content on inconveniencing women, encouraging extramarital affairs, rape and child abuse, harassment on women and marital breakdown were cited with examples, during the meeting. The negative impact of reality TV programmes was extensively discussed.
Addressing the gathering, Chairperson MP Wijemanna opined that it is timely to introduce a code of conduct and laws to guide the media. The committee however was of the opinion that self-regulation was the preferred mechanism for the media as regards how it portrays women and children and what message it carries to the people.
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