They said obscenity and vulgarism are the main components of the current films where women are being presented in an indecent way.

Portrayal of women in movies and advertisements as a commodity has marked a rise in recent years, contributing to degradation of social values and increasing criminal activities, said the speakers.

The workshop on 'The Image of Women in Media' was organised by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) at a city hotel on Wednesday.

Presided over by UNFPA Representative Suneeta Mukherjee, it was attended by Wasim Zaman, director of UNFPA, Nepal, Abdur Razzak, film star and goodwill ambassador of UNFPA, and Suvash Dutta, a noted filmmaker.

"During our era, we have presented women in attires acceptable to society, but costumes of the heroines now are absolutely unacceptable," said Suvash Dutta.

Razzak said it is the responsibility of all to protect the film industry from degradation.

Two keynote papers -- one by Advocate Salma Ali of BNWLA on 'Status of Women in Bangladesh' and another by Anupam Hayat on 'Protection of Women in Media' -- were presented at the workshop.

Representatives from film industry, advertising firms and print and electronic media took part in the discussion.