Steps Towards Development (Steps), an NGO that promotes gender equality, human rights and good governance, has taken the initiative to popularise some seven different forms of communication as effective means to raise awareness about gender issue among people.

The three-day fair will be held at Chhayanaut Sangskriti Bhaban in Dhanmondi featuring painting exhibition on violence against women, rickshaw painting on gender equity, slide show on child rights, and pot painting on women's contribution to communication.

A total of 42 organisations including Acid Survivors Foundation, Action Aid Bangladesh, Asia Foundation, Hunger Project Bangladesh, Brac, D-Net, Unicef, Women for Women, Nari Pakkha and DemocracyWatch will take part in the fair.

Ambassador of Sweden Britt F Hagstrom will inaugurate the fair in the afternoon.

At a press conference at its office in the city yesterday Steps Executive Director Ranjan Karmakar explained the objective of the fair and said there are not enough materials to sensitising gender issues among people.

But there are various traditional cultural practice and entertainment work like pot painting for example through which contribution of women to the development of the nation can easily be highlighted, he said.

"Not necessarily the sophisticated means of communication including documentary and reporting always work, but some unusual materials like 'rickshaw painting' might be an effective way to disseminate the message in the society," he added.

Country's leading intellectuals, cultural personalities and rights activists are expected to attend the fair aimed to help bring social change through various forms of social communication.

Shahin Rahman, director of Gender and Development Communication Centre, Shabnam Ferdousi, senior programme officer, Naznin Akhter Shifa, advocacy officer and Manan Morshed, publication officer of Steps were present at the press conference.