• Tue. Mar 19th, 2024

Discussion workshop for media managers on mechanisms for the prevention and protection of journalists against sexual harassment

ByWebmaster

Nov 27, 2022

BUJUMBURA November 24th (ABP) – The Assistant to the Minister of Communication, Information Technology and Media, Mr. Thierry Kitamoya opened on Tuesday, November 22, 2022, an exchange workshop for media managers on the mechanisms for the prevention and protection of journalists against sexual harassment, a check on the site by ABP has revealed.

In his speech, the Minister’s assistant thanked and congratulated the Burundian Association of Women Journalists (AFJO), which organized that activity which will last two days, with the aim of contributing to the implementation of the national policy of communication and media under its “gender” axis. He took this opportunity to thank the AFJO which organized a survey on sexual harassment in the workplace and it is the results of this survey which will allow the development of a code of conduct which had been proposed as a concrete action to eradicate the phenomenon of sexual harassment in the workplace. To that effect, he added that that survey reveals damning figures in a society where sexual harassment is taboo and moreover, he added, that survey reveals that the absence of an effective information system in In cases of harassment, the victims have no recourse structures, they silently brood over the clumsy words, gestures and behavior of their executioners. Mr. Kitamoya also pointed out that the ministry welcomes AFJO’s commitment to implementing the youth and gender-sensitive media charter.

The assistant to the minister pointed out that the government of Burundi has made firm commitments in favor of young people in the direction of sustainable development. That is in particular the establishment of an investment bank for young people, the Guarantee Fund, the allocation of 10,000,000 BIF to each village to encourage people to work in a cooperative.

To that end, Mr. Kitamoya invited those media responsibles to undertake concrete actions to sensitize young people to group together in cooperatives and advertorials promoting youth entrepreneurship. He further affirmed that at the level of the Ministry of Communication, ICT and Media, they will spare no effort to support all initiatives that go in the direction of the implementation of the youth and gender sensitive media charter. .

Speaking, Mrs. Diane Ndonse, the AFJO chairperson, indicated that the phenomenon of harassment in the media is a reality. A survey that was carried out on a hundred journalists reveals that this phenomenon always affects men and women; with a greater proportion of women 57.5% of the surveys confirm that the authors are men while only 17.5% surveys say the perpetrators are women. The AFJO chairperson pointed out that this survey also gives damning figures in a society where sexual harassment is taboo. Indeed, she indicated, 30% of the surveys claim that their colleagues have received advances from their superiors and 17% of the surveys claim to have received advances from their hierarchical superiors. Note that the objective of that workshop is to contribute to the protection of journalists, to promote gender balance in media productions.