BUJUMBURA March 17th (ABP) – The Collective of Women’s Associations and NGOs of Burundi (CAFOB) organized, on Wednesday March 15, 2023, a training workshop for 20 journalists on the integration of the gender dimension in media productions. It was within the framework of the implementation of its project “Education of Girls for a Better Future (EDUFAM), carried out in Muyinga province in Gasorwe commune.
The chairperson of CAFOB, Mrs. Espérance Nijembazi, pointed out that currently media managers have understood the gender dimension compared to previous years. CAFOB wants to further stimulate gender sensitivity in media productions, she stressed. She added that through that training, CAFOB relies on the commitment of journalists to carry forward the notions of equality and equity, and gender. For her, media productions that take those notions into account will help reduce stereotypes in the treatment of current events and encourage female leadership in a healthy and non-stereotypical way.
Mrs. Madone Kanyamuneza, in charge of the “EDUFAM” project, indicated that, in relation to that educational project for girls, the commitment of journalists is of paramount importance to encourage the community to be more sensitive so that girls stay in school, whether in the area of intervention or throughout the country. In the area of intervention of that project, namely Gasorwe commune in Muyinga province, the education of girls is faced with a good number of obstacles, she deplored. As Mrs. Kanyamuneza pointed out, poverty drives families to prioritize boys’ education, with girls being sent to do paid work as domestics. In addition, girls, victims of gender-based violence, drop out of school following unwanted pregnancies or early marriage.
The person in charge of that project also underlined that culture is an element that blocks the retention of girls in school, since in the area of intervention some people think that the girl is not intended for studies, but at home. Finally, she mentioned the neglect of some parents who no longer care about the education of their children, leaving them to themselves, whether they are girls or boys.
Three themes, namely the social obstacles that prevent girls from staying in school, the understanding of gender and related concepts, and finally some terminologies of gender-based violence defined by law, were developed for the 20 journalists that were undergoing training.