Story of Uks
Uks is a research, resource and publication centre dedicated to the cause of gender equality and women's development.
We are an advocacy and rights-based group seeking to raise awareness and assist implementation of our goals and ideals. The center focuses on the women-media relationship; a concern that has hither to remained poorly represented by organizations working on women’s rights.
The Center has already won the support of many journalists, human rights and women's rights activists, academics and other like-minded groups.
Since its inception in 1997, Uks has monitored media, conducted research on emerging trends, particularly regarding gender and women development, and undertaken trainings and workshops to raise awareness about crucial issues amongst media.
Uks views the mass media as an exceedingly important part of our day-to-day living, reflecting and, to a large extent, determining our daily life and ideological beliefs. Therefore it aims to utilize, in its entirety, the services of our media to effectively improve the present status of the Pakistani woman and to highlight the importance of her role in national development. Uks, with its team of professional media persons and researchers, aims to look at various aspects of women-media relationship.
Publication of first-ever study on monitoring of print media on the portrayal of Women – Changing Images- 2003
Resource material, based on clippings from 12 newspapers scanned daily, on the projection of women in the print media- since 1998
First NGO in South Asia to compile and disseminate a gender-sensitive code-of-ethics for the print media in Pakistan- 2007First NGO in South Asia to compile and disseminate a gender-sensitive code-of-ethics for the print media in Pakistan- 2007
Announcement of Gender-Sensitivity Awards for Journalists, first time in the history of Pakistani journalism - 2004
One of the first organizations in Pakistan to sensitize the media on reporting on HIV and AIDS in a gender sensitive manner
One of the first organizations to train and sensitize the media on how to report on disasters with a gender lens in the aftermath of the earthquake of October 8, 2005
First Civil Society Organization in Pakistan to own an in-house state-of-the-art Radio Production House -2003
Announcement of Gender-Sensitivity Awards for Journalists, first time in the history of Pakistani journalism - 2004
Uks Annual Desk Diary- Our Trademark
A striking collector's item; a new theme every year essentially related to women’s development, represented through press clippings, opinions, poetry, illustrations and a detailed chronology of related events.
Official Coordinator Of GMMP In Pakistan
Pakistan has been part of the GMMP twice – in 2010 and 2015. Both the times, Uks was the official coordinator of this volunteer activity carried out globally every five years, in more than 100 countries, on the same day.
Women’s Media Complaint Cell- 2014
The first ever complaint cell that caters to public complaints against gender-insensitive media content.
