Exhibition on female journalists' safety held in Paris
A female journalist at work. A global media exhibition to raise awareness of online and offline attacks on women journalists has been held in Paris, France.
What you need to know:
- The five-day exhibition sponsored by the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in collaboration with Human Rights in the Picture and Free Press Unlimited, was unveiled on Monday last week.
- It aimed to initiate a conversation with governments and other stakeholders in the media industry on enhancing the protection of women journalists.
A global media exhibition to raise awareness of online and offline attacks on women journalists was held last week in Paris, France.
The five-day exhibition sponsored by the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in collaboration with Human Rights in the Picture and Free Press Unlimited, was unveiled on Monday last week.
It aimed to initiate a conversation with governments and other stakeholders in the media industry on enhancing the protection of women journalists.
The initiative featured 13 global women journalists from Europe, Africa, Asia and South America. Among them is Ms Judie Kaberia, one of the two Africans featured. The other is Ms Samira Sabou from Niger.
Ms Kaberia is the former executive director of the Association of Media Women in Kenya.They share their experiences as practising journalists in profiles exhibited at the Unesco headquarters.
In her exhibited profile, Ms Kaberia said: “To be a woman journalist is not easy. We must learn to say 'no', to develop a thick skin, to work very hard – 1,000 times harder than men.”
She adds that women journalists “must remain professional and persistent,” and that “to remain relevant and rise in our careers, we must promise ourselves not to give up, but focus on the goal and get ready to fight the hurdles we meet.”
Misogyny
For Ms Sabou, when she first got into social media journalism, she received most comments from men asking her to abandon journalism for marriage. And after she got married, they told her to stop her work and focus on taking care of her husband.
In Armenia and France, the work of women journalists is little respected. Ms Astrig Agopian, who covers Armenia and France, notes in her profile that “as a woman journalist working in a war zone, you are less likely to be taken serious, making it even harder to get information. Another identity factor that has played a role in some specific situations and contexts, has been my ethnic origin.”
In Venezuela, women journalists face a double risk. Ms Sheyla Urdaneta based in Venezuela said: “In Venezuela, there seems to be a double risk: that of a journalist and that of a woman.
"These together make that women journalists have to earn their respect. Fortunately, more and more women journalists are heading the media as directors or team leaders.”
While Ms María Luz Nóchez from El Salvador advised women journalists to guard their mental health. "When facing gender-based harassment, women journalists have the right to set boundaries and prioritise self-care without feeling guilty, shallow or being singled out for lack of commitment,” she said.
“Despite the urgency and importance of our work and perspectives, our mental health must come first, particularly in hostile contexts. A rested mind is a new source of strength and opportunity."
