BUJUMBURA 10th (ABP) – In order to prepare for the celebration of International Women’s Day, 2024 edition, the Burundian association of women journalists (AFJO) organized on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, a coffee press to discuss media monitoring of budgets from a gender perspective, for women and girls’ journalists.
According to the AFJO chairperson, Mrs. Francine Ndihokubwayo, the objective of that press café was to contribute to building the capacities of women journalists on media monitoring of budgets from a gender perspective and, on the other hand, to mobilize women journalists to ensure media coverage of activities organized as part of Women’s Month, in particular by giving women a voice.
March is a special month. It was dedicated to women to give them an opportunity to self-evaluate, in order to see the progress already made and the steps that remain to be taken, each in their field of action.
As for the AFJO, it has set itself the mission of promoting the rights of women in general and those of women journalists, in particular, through communication actions. To successfully accomplish that mission, the media and communication constitute its workhorse in the promotion and defense of women’s rights.
In her approach, she focuses on the two objectives set by the 1995 Beijing international conference on women and the media. That involves enabling women to better express themselves and better participate in decision-making within and through the media and new communication techniques. We must also promote a balanced, non-stereotypical image of women in the media. The AFJO hopes that the contributions of women journalists will make their respective media more gender-sensitive both in terms of their content and their personnel and in terms of the allocation and execution of their budgets.
For his part, Mr. Mathias Kinezero who made a presentation on gender-sensitive budgeting indicated that that type of budgeting is a participatory and inclusive approach in the development of the budget. The concerns of men and women are taken into account. He gave the example of the government’s policy of providing treatment to pregnant women and children under 5 years old. There are also organizations that grant double mission fees when it comes to a breastfeeding woman, because she needs to move her nanny and her child.
Thus, women journalists must make communications aimed at advocating so that budgets are voted on taking into account the concerns of men and women.