Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: In a major step towards ensuring the safety and protection of media workers, the Commission for Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals (CPJMP) has decided to make its complaint mechanism operational with immediate effect.
The Commission will start receiving complaints manually from journalists and media professionals until its dedicated online Complaint Management Portal is fully launched.
The decision was taken at the third meeting of the Commission held on Tuesday at the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, chaired by Chairman Kamal Uddin Tipu.
The meeting reviewed and confirmed the minutes of the commission’s second meeting and considered the progress made on decisions and follow-up actions taken at previous meetings.
The chairman briefed participants on the operationalisation of the commission. Members agreed that complaints concerning journalists and media professionals should be received manually as an interim arrangement, allowing the commission to begin addressing grievances before the online complaint mechanism is fully functional. The commission also decided to coordinate with relevant stakeholders to address issues relating to the safety, protection, training and welfare of journalists and media professionals under the Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Act, 2021.
Ministry of Human Rights representative Muhammad Arshad offered his ministry’s support in drafting the commission’s rules and developing mechanisms for periodic performance assessment and key performance indicators.
The meeting also discussed the definitions of “journalist” and “media professional” under the 2021 Act, with participants stressing the need for clarity to facilitate the commission’s work and address complaints within its statutory mandate.
The participants discussed job security and employment conditions of journalists and media professionals, including delayed and unpaid salaries. The meeting also reviewed arrangements made by media organisations for welfare and life and health insurance of their employees.
Safety and security mechanisms and training facilities available to journalists and media professionals also came under discussion.
The meeting agreed to strengthen coordination and consultation with relevant stakeholders in order to improve the implementation of the law and protection mechanisms for media workers.
It was further decided that the commission’s five committees would finalise their respective recommendations before the next meeting. The committees are dealing with rules formulation, complaint-handling mechanisms, training and welfare, the commission’s activities plan, and compilation of annual reports.
