African Female Journalists seek protection from online, offline violence

Female journalists from 12 African countries  meeting in Dar ES Salam have bemoaned the increasing violence against female journalists worldwide and called for more action to protect women.

The 21 women from English speaking Africa, converged on the Tanzanian capital for their 3^rd meeting in 6 years; to discuss Safety of women journalists on the continent, this time looking at the relationship between online and offline violence.

The female journalists are the those trained by the Norwegian Union of Journalists in 2017 to deliver safety trainings for women journalists in their respective countries.

The meeting which is on-going  in Dar es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania is discussing the increasing violence on female journalists which begins online but now taken offline.

Our specialist trainers are in Dar es Salaam this week for an update and to share good practices in their safety and equality training for women #journalists. Photo from role play: “She’s being harassed, the editor doesn’t care. What to do?” @Journalistlag @IFJGlobal pic.twitter.com/JcffqtNEMx

— Eva Stabell, NJ (@NJinternasjonal) October 18, 2022

Professor Kristin Orgeret from the Oslomet University in Norway told the participants that “73% of women journalists have experienced online violence and 20% of them have also been targeted with offline abuse and attacks connected with online violence.”

This she says has had negative effect of women journalists and have affected their work.

She asked women journalists to be more resilient and develop nation-specific protocols for safety both online and offline

Welcoming the participants, Ms. Eva Stabell the International Officer for the Norwegian Union of Journalists, commended the women for being champions of safety for women journalists and making impacts on the continent.

She said that the new trend of violence against women journalists was capable of taking women out of journalism. She said,  “we need to keep women journalists on the job and not sent off.”

Ms. Eva Stabell singled out the Nigerian and Tanzanian teams for the impact they are making in promoting safety for journalists in their countries.

The Nigerian team, which includes Voice of Nigeria’s Rafat Salami and Veronica Ogbole a freelance journalist, reported to the meeting that “Nigeria has held 24 training sessions in 21 states, reaching 620 journalists since the programme began in 2017.”

The Tanzanian Team, Maureen Odunga and Sophie Ngalapy have conducted 23 trainings in 20 regions and have been instrumental in the setting up of the journalists Union in Tanzania which was registered in 2018.

Issue of promoting welfare of female journalists, to know their rights, gender equity and aspects journalists’ safety.

The Norwegian Union of Journalists began the safety training of  African women journalists in 2017, held a refresher training for 2019 both in Dakar, Senegal and this year convened  the “meeting of trainers,” in Dar ES Salaam, the Tanzanian Capital.