Senior journalists, lawyers and psychologists have called on Bangladesh’s media and other stakeholders to be more sensitive to children’s rights in delivering news about them.
They believe the news media should have a set of guidelines in place for journalists to adhere to.
The suggestions came at a discussion titled “Oishee in News: The Conduct of Police and Media” at the office of bdnews24.com in Dhaka on Friday. (Listen here)
Bangladesh’s first internet-only newspaper organised the brain-storming in the backdrop of police taking juvenile Oishee Rahman on remand over the killing of her parents and the controversial role of journalists in presenting news on the matter.
Psychiatrist Anwara Syed Haq, senior journalist and child rights expert Afsan Chowdhury, AN Mahfuza Khatun Baby Maudud, MP, lawyer UM Habibun Nessa, psychologist Farida Akhtar, Excel Academy Vice-Principal Sheba Tasmin Huq, Fazilatun Nessa Bappy MP, UNICEF’s Communications Specialist AM Sakil Faizullah, and Hello.bdnews24.com’s child journalist Samin Yasar Priom joined the discussion.
Senior journalist Muzzammil Husain Monju moderated the two-hour programme.
Professor Anwara of Ibrahim Medical College blamed the news media for running ‘sensational’, suggestive reports implicating Oishee in the murder to stay ahead in the cut-throat competition.
She emphasised training journalists on collecting news on children and running them.
The psychiatrist criticised police for taking the juvenile into remand asking, “Even if she (Oishee) admits to killing, why should she be remanded?”
Senior journalist Afasn Chowdhury said media workers in Bangladesh do not care about the Press Council. “It is as if violating laws have become our national norm thinking, ‘who can punish us?”
He said it would be possible to abide by the law if journalists came up with a ‘policy’ and decide to adhere to it. But, he said, “we neither respect the lawmakers nor do we follow any guideline.”
Chowdhury suggested journalists and judges alike had no option to be ‘influenced’. “They should be different from others.”
He said the media cannot provide the correct information if they are prejudiced.
Supreme Court lawyer Habibun Nessa talked about her experience of working with children for over one and a half decades.
“We do not respect the truth,” she said. “We have assimilated trial procedures for the children with the adults. The media has a responsibility before putting the blame on anyone.”
She observed that it was a ‘huge crime’ from the human rights point of view to expose someone even before the trial process began.
The lawyer criticised camera trials. “Can you even bring a serious offender in front of the camera?” she asked.
“Correcting, not punishing, is the state’s duty,” Habibun Nessa said.
Psychologist Farida Akhtar cited news reports on Oishee and her lifestyle. “[Children] show certain symptoms before taking drugs. They do not do anything in time. The parents should be aware of these [symptoms].”
”The state should see whether the juvenile (Oishee) would need treatment or counselling,” she said.
Speaking from her own experience of raising children, AN Mahfuza Khatun Baby Maudud, MP said, “The children should be habituated to reading books and listening to songs.”
UNICEF’s Communications Specialist Sakil Faizullah criticised the remand of Oishee and the child domestic help saying the move had violated Children Act.
He flayed the role of media on running reports on the matter.
“There’s no watchdog for the media. Why shouldn’t a council be in place to control the media?” he asked.
The discussants demanded effective role from the Press Council for putting an end to running ‘imaginary’ reports.
Police on Aug 16 recovered the bodies of Special Branch of Police officer Mahfuzur Rahman and her wife Swapna Begum from their Chamelibagh apartment in Dhaka. They used to live with their daughter Oishee, son ‘Oihee’ and child domestic help ‘Sumi’.
A day after the incident, Oishee surrendered at the Paltan Police Station and the law keepers have been claiming since that the ‘O-Level’ student at Oxford International School had a hand in her parents’ death.
On Aug 18, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Joint Commissioner Monirul Islam had said Oishee was involved in the killing.
“The girl had many friends. She had gone spoiled. Her parents tried to stop this and did not allow her to get out of the house.
“Oishee was furious with her mother, so she stabbed her 11 times, while stabbing her father only twice.”
Islam was certain about her involvement with the murder. “We know now that Oishee was involved,” he had said.
The same day, a Dhaka court remanded her and the domestic help in police custody for five days in a case filed by her uncle, Moshiur Rahman.
The police plea seeking remand had stated that Oishee was ‘under the influence of drugs’ and that she and her ‘drug-addict friends’ joined hands to ‘commit the murders’.
There have been serious controversies over Oishee’s age. According to her school documents, she is yet to be 18 years, which police claim to be her age.
National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Chairman Mizanur Rahman, along with others, criticised the move which, they said, violated the Children Act.
Several media reports regarding Oishee have also been questioned.
Meanwhile, police on Wednesday conducted several tests at the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital to ascertain her age.
Source: Bd news24