By Grace Q. Bryant
The Female Journalists Association of Liberia (FeJAL) with support from the European Union, the United Nations and the Government of Liberia has begun the second phase of refresher training on Gender Sensitive Reporting under the Spotlight Initiative Project.
The training is expected to last for three days bringing together 150 Liberian journalists comprising of reporters and editors-in-chief under the theme: “Media Engagement, Advocacy and Gender Sensitivity Reporting on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls.”
Yesterday’s session drew reporters from Grand Cape Mount and Monsterrado Counties who gathered in Monrovia with the objectives of bridging gaps noticed and identified after phase 1 of the Spotlight Initiative Media component.
The training is also intended to deepen journalists understanding of their roles in covering Sexual and Gender Based Violence and Female Genital Mutilation using existing laws and policies that address them.
The training will also examine how language reinforces stereotypes about women and the impacts on media coverage of SGBV and FGM issues.
In her remarks during the opening of the training, FeJAL’s president Siatta Scott-Johnson said the Association is implementing the media component of the EU Spotlight Initiative Project and added that phase two of the refresher training seek to cover some of the gaps in reporting on gender sensitivity issue because there are some issues that still need to be addressed in reporting SGBV.
“Because of those gaps, FeJAL decided to regroup and have a refresher training to get journalists ready to address those issues and the spotlight initiative will be covering 300 journalists from five counties,” FeJAL president disclosed.
She said those counties like Lofa, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Nimba and Monsterrado are under this initiative working with newsrooms’ editors and program directors both in the print and electronic media.
FeJAL’s boss also thanked the Government of Liberia, European Union and the United Nations for giving them the opportunity to conduct phase two of the training under the Spotlight Initiative.
According to the Program Analyst of the UN Women, Dhogba G. Mabande, the role of the media is significant in addressing challenges in social norms such as violence against women and girls.
He maintained that UN Women under Spotlight Initiative have conducted several trainings for reporters and editors on gender sensitivity issues and are supporting the initiative to see a world or environment where women and girls will be able to live free from all forms of violence.
Mr. Mabande further explained that the training should help journalists report on violence against women and girls in the country which is already on the increase and encouraged reporters to use their various media institutions to raise awareness on gender based violence.
He added that the media remains a potentially powerful channel of information in a society, adding that the media should strive for accuracy and impartiality noting, “We continued these trainings with media practitioners and media institutions through the EU/UN Spotlight Initiative phase two program.”
He revealed that FeJAL and the Ministry of Information remains key stakeholders in ensuring gender equality and the protection of women and girls from all forms of violence against them; disclosing, “Through this initiative, media practitioners continue to develop effective communication and media skills so that they highlight the gender issues, especially those that affect women and girls.”
The Press Union of Liberia’s (PUL) Secretary General, Musa Kanneh commended FeJAL for their work done in making sure that gender sensitive reporting is highlighted in everything they do.
Mr. Kanneh said that there have been series of trainings on gender sensitive reporting in the past but, there are still problems in reporting gender issues.
S.G. Kanneh emphasized that the issues of Gender Sensitive have been under reporting in Liberia, but that this is an opportunity for all to learn about how to report them, concluding, “This is very critically placed in our dispensation and our profession trying to highlight issues that affect women and girls because they are the real future of the nation.”
Madam Varnetta Johnson Freeman lecturing under the theme: Media Role in Covering SGBV and FCM Incidents and Suspension of FGM for 3 years and that this training session is designed to give journalists a deep understanding of their role in covering SGBV and FGM and existing low and policies that address them.
Madam Freeman added that it will also examine how language reinforces stereotypes about women and the impact it has on media coverage of SGBV and FCM.