FeJAL Gets EU/UN Spotlight Initiative Project

By Grace Q. Bryant
The Female Journalists Association of Liberia (FeJAL) has signed an agreement with the UN Women Liberia office to implement one of the activities under the European Union and United Nations Spotlight Initiative.
The EU/UN embarked on a new global multi-year initiative which focuses on eliminating all forms of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) which is known as the ‘Spotlight Initiative’ and places its focus at the center of efforts to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment in line with 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
During the signing ceremony on Tuesday, November 12, 2019, the Deputy County Representative and Officer-In-Charge, Sangeeta Thapa, who signed on behalf of the UN Women said the Spotlight Initiative is a new join up approach and partner between the UN and the EU to deliver on the SDGS in an integrated manner in line with respective mandates.
Madam Thapa disclosed that the program’s intervention considers the media as cardinal in reaching out to a large target group or audience in creating and shaping public opinion on the prevention and response to Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) and Harmful Practices (HPs) as well as strengthening society and the creation of public awareness.
“The media has a greater responsibility to act against injustice, oppression , discrimination and all forms of violence perpetrated against a person, especially women and girls; minority groups, marginalized and vulnerable groups,” Madam Thapa explained.
Madam Thapa maintained that, “Even in this era of an influx of multi-media tools to communicate, there is still a lack of awareness and dialogue on what comprises of GBV, legislations and frameworks in place for legal recourse; prevention mechanisms, where to go for help, care and rehabilitation.”
“The media’s core theme should then be about speaking out and as it is considered as one of the platforms that must be capacitated and mobilized to influence existing social norms, including gender-inequitable norms and facilitate behavior change,” she stressed.
FeJAL’s president, Siatta Scott-Johnson who signed on behalf of her Association thanked the UN Women for its confidence imposed in the Association to be selected among many competitors to implement a component of the Spotlight Initiative.
She told reporters that the over US$ 66, 000 project partnership as per the agreement signed will be carried out in phases based upon accountability and performance and that it is intended to cover 59 media institutions in five counties.
She said her expectation is that media editors and reporters will be responsive in identifying gender sensitive reporting as well as addressing violence against women and girls with specific support to community radio stations as well as translating said awareness into dialects or local languages.
Madam Scott-Johnson revealed that the training will involve working with media practitioners and media houses in building their capacities to escalate the discussion on ending violence against women and girls to a broader platform and ensure that GBV cases are inclusive of all genders.