Joyce Namugambe
As the Uganda Media Women Association continues to prepare the new Online App for female journalists to report their voices about the challenges they go through as they carry out their journalism work, it has trained female journalists on how to enhance the knowledge and skills on offline and online safety and security tips.
This is due to the fact that most female journalists are going through different forms of harassment such as sexual harassment, but some of them are not even aware about some of these harassments making them to be normal and part of them at their places of work.
However, as UMWA prepares the new App to enable them bring out such harassments, it took an initiative to train them and highlight the different types of harassments so that they know what to report on the platform, who to report, how to report and finally get the help they need to overcome the harassments.
During the training which took place at UMWA offices in Kisaasi, One of the facilitators Irene Namyalo trained female journalists on understanding sexual harassment and its presentations, physical abuses, survival tips, online abuses and threats, safety and security measures, understanding mental health and how to deal with it among others.
Irene noted that it is the role of female journalists to stand against any form of harassments, through understanding their role in the newsrooms and know their worth, and above all know where to run to incase they are being harassed. She added that they have to set their own boundaries to help them resist the traps of being harassed and make sure that they respect them. This and much more will help them escape the traps of the abusers in different places.
The UMWA communication and Advocacy officer Brenda Namata trained journalists on how to understand their rights to keep safe amidst the challenges they go through. She added that as UMWA, they plan and intend to make strong follow up on harassments against female journalists after they come out and voice them on the new platform. She pointed out harassments such as health challenge issues, physical abuse, less and delayed payments, among others, which they intend to handle.
UMWA Programs officer Doreen Sampa noted that much as women have been silently discriminated and harassed at places of work, this is the time when laws protecting women are emerging and women have a chance to speak out about the challenges they go through and get the help they need.
However she advised female journalists to make use of the laws that are set to help them since speaking out and seeking for help from authorities is the only way for them to get justice, but keeping quiet will only keep them suffering without help.
This new intervention is being supported by the Canadian fund for local initiative.
