SANF 07 No 33
A gender minister has challenged SADC journalists to give women fair and adequate media coverage and thus contribute to the achievement of gender commitments in the region.
She urged that, where progress has been made, this should be highlighted in the media to “motivate those who are working hard to make a change in people’s lives.”
Hon. Oppah Muchinguri, the Minister of Women’s Affairs, Gender and Community Development in Zimbabwe, made this appeal when opening a workshop of SADC journalists on Strengthening Media Capacity to Report on Gender Commitments in SADC.
“One of the challenges is that we tend to receive more backlash than support from the media whenever there are new policies in place to deal with gender issues,” the minister said. “Some news stories lack in-depth analysis on the gender issues affecting our communities, and often, women’s voices are absent in the news.”
She also took the opportunity to commend the media in Zimbabwe for the supportive role they played during the campaign for the Domestic Violence Act, urging them to continue to play a role to ensure that the objectives of the Domestic Violence Act are realised.
“It is my hope that through this workshop you will come up with ideas on what role you can play toward the implementation of gender equality and women’s empowerment commitments in the region.
“The workshop should provide you with necessary information and tools that you need to be able to report objectively and from a more informed position.”
She welcomed any suggestions from journalists on how gender machineries and policy-making structures can help to improve reporting on gender issues.
“Gender equality is a fundamental human right and a precondition for democracy, good governance and economic progress, hence progress in our region will only be real and sustainable if the status of women, children and other disadvantaged groups is improved, if equal opportunities for education, employment and well-being are created, and if all citizens of this region can live without fear of violence, among other issues.”
Muchinguri said the SADC region has achieved milestones putting in place policy frameworks to address gender equality and women’s empowerment, at regional and national levels.
She outlined the commitments toward gender equality contained in the SADC Declaration on Gender and Development approved by SADC Heads of State and Government in 1997 and its Addendum on the Prevention and Eradication of Violence against Women and Children in 1998.
A gender protocol has been drafted for review throughout the region and presentation to SADC Heads of State and Government at their Summit in Lusaka in August this year.
The journalists discussed methods and tools to support their work, including access to research materials through the Virtual Library for Southern Africa at www.sardc.net Knowledge for Development.
The workshop in Harare was hosted by the Southern African Research and Documentation Centre (SARDC) and its gender programme, Women in Development Southern Africa Awareness (WIDSAA), and was well attended by journalists from all SADC member states with exception of the newest member, Madagascar.
