The National Women Journalists, NAWOJ, in collaboration with the Norwegian Union of Journalists, have collaborated to educate women journalists on safety, combating sexual harassment, and professional reporting of gender issues.
The 3-day training with the theme ‘Gender Equity and Safety/Gender Sensitive Reporting for Women Journalists’ had about 30 women in attendance to learn about topical issues affecting women journalists at their respective workplaces.
Held at the Nigerian Union of Journalists Press Centre in Ikeja, Lagos, the training was organised in the wake of recent attacks on journalists around the world to serve as a form of sensitization for women in the pen profession.
The training had topics on harassment, safety, and gender equity, among other class exercises, which were aimed at equipping women journalists with best practices around the globe.
Speaking at the event, an Assistant Director at Voice of Nigeria, Mrs. Rafat Salami said, “There was a need for every journalist on the field to have a safety kit ready at all times and not wait for the period of emergency.”
Actions
Mrs Salami segmented the women into groups for them to brainstorm on possible items to take along when going on long-distance coverage.
On sexual harassment, she said: “All organisations should recognise the fact that sexual harassment is a misdemeanour and then create a system for every journalist to report when they are sexually harassed so that actions can be taken to address it.
“It should be listed in the staff regulation as a crime and it should be enforced. There should be a sexual harassment desk. An officer to be in charge. If there is a problem regarding sexual harassment, he /she would take it up. We should investigate all cases of sexual harassment and if found guilty, the culprit should be severely sanctioned to serve as a deterrent and also eliminate sexual harassment in the workplace.”
Analysing the difference between gender equality and gender equity, another trainer, Veronica Ogbole said gender equality is quantitative. It is more about numbers, while gender equity is about fairness and carrying women along in all spheres.
Empowerment gap
She explained that empowerment is vital for both genders for development purposes and wherever there is an empowerment gap between both genders, the nation will become backward.
“It is important to input gender issues in policy design and implementation because the gap is there already. A survey carried out in 2003 revealed that just 25% of issues were featured in media and one of the ways of bridging the gap is by training women journalists to start reporting issues concerning gender,“ Ogbole said.
Gender Disparity
The Chairperson of the Lagos State chapter of NAWOJ, Dr. Adeola Ekine said organising a training on gender equity and the safety of female journalists is aimed at raising awareness about gender disparity in journalism and empowering female journalists to access equal opportunities and resources in their fields.
Dr Ekine said female journalists often face unique safety challenges, including harassment and threats.
“The training will equip them with tools to navigate these challenges and stay safe while reporting. It will also enhance a diverse and inclusive newsroom where gender equity is practised, leading to more balanced reporting which reflects a wider range of perspectives on issues,” she stated.
The training was aimed at educating female journalists on how to recognise and address harassment and create a safer and more supportive work environment. It also boosts the confidence of female journalists, encouraging them to tackle stories they might have avoided due to safety concerns or gender bias.
“Female journalists are expected to use the knowledge gained from the training to become advocates for gender equity and safety, both within their organisations and in the broader media industry,” she said.
Avoid making headlines
Dr. Ekine added that training on gender equity and safety for female journalists will also contribute to a more inclusive, safer, and professionally enriched journalism landscape.
Also speaking at the event, the Secretary of the Lagos chapter of NAWOJ, Lilian Ario said the main reason NAWOJ Collaborated with Norwegian for the training is to give members the knowledge they needed to do their jobs.
Lateefah Ibrahim
