9th May 2014
By Stefanie Chernow

Turning the Page of Hate: Reporting the Scourge of Violence and Discrimination Against Women

The main objective of the workshop, which is carried out in the context of the Africa-wide campaign for tolerance in media Turning the Page of Hate, is to help the journalism community push back against editorial practice that can reinforce stereotypes, ignore the reality of violence against women at work and home and that restricts progress towards genuine respect for gender equality at all levels of society. The workshop will focus on practical ways in which people in media can work towards creating coverage which is balanced, fair, and inclusive. The event is organised by International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT) Uganda Chapter and Uganda Journalists Union (UJU) with support from the Ethical Journalists Network (EJN).

In Uganda today, more women than ever are working in media, but they do not play an equal role. Few women are advancing to senior or management levels and women seeking to join the media industries face discrimination in the workplace, unequal and unfair treatment in terms of payment, assignments, promotions, inflexible work environments and a lack of support mechanism for working women.

This workshop, directed at media professionals including reporters, editors, programme producers, and media decision makers will explore the obstacles that keeps journalism from playing its full part as one of the twelve critical and challenging areas in the Beijing Platform for Action for advancing gender equality.

Gender equality in the media is not an idle theoretical question, but touches on people’s real lives, both men and women, and it has many dimensions; access, representation, participation, visibility, space and language.