Report By: Ishmael Barfi
The Alliance for Women in Media Africa, in partnership with the German Corporation GIZ, recently hosted a public forum titled “Voices for Change: Transforming Media Narratives.” The event aimed to raise awareness about gender-based violence and the critical role the media plays in shaping public opinion and influencing policy.
As part of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, the forum brought together media experts, journalists, and consultants to discuss the challenges and opportunities in reporting on gender-based violence.
Highlighting the forum’s importance, Madam Mercy C. Adjabeng, convener for the Alliance for Women in Media Africa, emphasized the need for responsible media reporting, stating, “The media is a powerful tool that can be used to shape perspectives, influence voices, policies, and behavior as a whole. We must use this tool to end violence against women.”
According to her, media professionals need to work within their professional remits to avoid trivializing issues of violence, emphasizing that violence against women and girls is a crisis that requires a change in attitude and approach.
The forum jointly organized with Participation, Accountability, Integrity for a Resilient Democracy (PAIReD) and the project Support to Human Rights, Gender Equality and Civil Society (S(HE))featured a panel discussion with media experts, including lawyer Samson Ladi Ayani of News File, who shared their insights on how the media can be used as an advocacy tool to demand accountability from authorities and end gender-based violence.
During the panel discussion, panelists reiterated the critical role of the media in shaping public opinion and influencing policy on gender-based violence.
Furthermore, the panelists acknowledged that responsible media reporting is essential to avoid trivializing issues of violence and to demand accountability from authorities, and violence against women and girls is a crisis that requires a change in attitude and approach.
For effectiveness, the media professionals were called upon to use their platforms to educate, inform, empower, and demand accountability to end gender-based violence.
Moving forward, the panelists advocated for more training of media professionals on responsible reporting on gender-based violence and, media outlets developing policies and guidelines for reporting on gender-based violence.
In addition to that, the panelists called for more public education on the importance of responsible media reporting on gender-based violence. At the same time, ensuring authorities are held accountable for addressing gender-based violence and supporting survivors.
The event concluded with a call to action, urging media professionals to use their platforms to educate, inform, empower, and demand accountability. By transforming media narratives, we can work towards a future where women and girls are free from violence and discrimination.
Source: www.thenewindepedentonline.com
