Joyce Namugambe
In a bid to continue with strengthening the safety and security mechanisms for female journalism in the media fraternity, The Uganda Media Women Association UMWA has engaged media house managers to find means on how to safeguard and protect female journalists against different forms of violations and abuse to make newsroom a safe place for them.
This comes at a time when female journalists have on a serious note been going through different forms of violations such as online gender based violence, sexual abuse, physical abuse, cyber bullying, mental health abuse among others in their media houses but too little or nothing has been done by their bosses to see things changing but rather those who feel they can’t take it in any more just quit such workplaces.
This has raised the risks of female journalists going through the same challenges over and over since when one quits the job, the other who replaces her goes through the same thing and the trend continues without any solution.
While engaging media managers at Hotel Africana in Kampala, Catherine Angeno, the UMWA Secretary to board stressed that 41% of affected women don’t get support during and after cyber abuses which has left many suffering without help.
She added that as UMWA, they have trained female journalists and politicians in issues of security, media laws and code of conduct, Gender sensitive reporting and journalism protection among other issues to equip female journalists with skills on how to protect themselves from the abuses to some extent.
Rosemary Kemigisha from the Uganda Human rights commission, on a sad note revealed that they learnt about the issue of some media houses upcountry where female journalists are instructed to engage in sexual intercourse with clients for the sake of winning adverts for the media houses which she says needs to be addressed for the safety of female journalists.
She expressed the need not only to concentrate on the manifestation of the challenges that female journalists go through, but tackle the root causes of the problems so that they can be resolved fully.
Brenda Namata revealed that UMWA conducted a research in the report entitled Soft Targets for Abuse, on threats of female journalists in the country especially in Kampala and Wakiso since they are the districts that have media concentration and more female journalists compared to other districts. The research targeted 600 female journalists and the Development actors were able to receive 166 responses.
Brenda therefore appealed to media houses to develop gender sensitive policies that stipulates or defines what violation is, the communication channels in which these violence can be addressed, for example the policies that enables employees to stand and speak up to their bosses in situations where they are the abusers.
She therefore called upon the regulator and all government agencies that speak to media to gender mainstream the media and legal regulatory framework that can create and environment which is safe for both female and male journalists to practice their press rights. She added that they want to see people who engage in the violation and abuse of female journalists punished, as away eliminating the the act.
The Policy programs manager Phillip Ayazika expressed the need for the country to reflect on the violations faced by female journalists in media and find the strategies to promote their safety and security.
One of the panelists Jan Ajwanga from Media focus in Africa urged female journalists to stop suffering in silence but rather come out and speak about the violations they go through and as well expose the abusers as a way of fighting the act.
Another Panelist Eri Kikomeko, from Tagy tv appealed to media managers to get closer to their junior staff as it will help them to create a friendly environment with them and in this way, they will be able to find out the challenges their juniors go through, thereby finding quick solutions to them.
In the same way, Apophia Agesasira, a writer, expressed concern over the female journalists who dress indecently in newsrooms which according to her, is one reason that attracts their bosses and male employees to harass them sexually.
Meanwhile, Nvule Dick, an Editor from radio simba noted that social cultural issues are a big disadvantage to female journalists but they should respect themselves before anything else by realising the kind of place they are in at a particular time.
