Women Journalists Discuss Gender-Based Violence in Jordan

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The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Center for Women's Global Leadership (CWGL) organized a meeting on gender-based journalism and gender-based violence in Amman, the capital city of Jordan.

The meeting was participated by several women journalists coming from Iraq, Jordan, Turkey and Gulf countries. As the women's news editor of bianet, I attended the meeting from Turkey with Mine Esen, the Foreign News Director of daily Cumhuriyet newspaper.

Exchanging opinions on gender-based journalism methods and male violence, journalists also discussed how gender-based violence is covered in the media and how violence is reported. The difficulties encountered by journalists while covering these issues were also on the agenda.

The focal point of the meeting was the ways in which gender-based violence, or GBV, is reported and how this violence is documented.

The meeting was held in two sessions. In the first session, representatives from the UNFPA and CWGL and regional specialists took the floor. In the second session, editors and reporters shared their own experiences.

Chaired by journalist Suzanne Afanah, the former Minister of Tourism of Jordan, the meeting's opening speeches were held by UNFPA Syria Regional representative Jennifer Miquel and Krishanti Dharmaraj, a director from the CWGL. Both women raised concerns over the problems of migrant women as well as gender inequalities in general.

One of the most interesting presentations of the meeting was the one held by Jafar Irshaidat, an expert from the UNFPA. Showing good examples of gender-based journalism, Irshaidat made the following presentation:

Another interesting presentation was held by human rights lawyer Prof. Sherizaan Minwalla from Iraq via video conference.

Working to make the voices of Yazidi women heard in international community, Minwalla underlined that Yazidi women are subjected to both gender inequality and ethnic discrimination.

Journalists from Iraq also took the floor in the meeting. Stating that there are almost 100 women journalists in Iraq and she attended the meeting on their behalf, one woman journalist indicated that they formed an entity with these women journalists. Underlining that they are experiencing several difficulties while performing their profession, she added that women journalists are also subjected to pressure and harassment in Iraq.

bianet male violence monitoring reports discussed

CLICK - bianet is Monitoring Male Violence

In the discussion part of the meeting, I talked about the male violence monitoring reports of bianet. I also shared excerpts from the July 2019 report with other participants. We also shared details as to the fact that men killed 24 women in July in one-to-one contacts after the meeting.

Mine Esen from the daily Cumhuriyet underlined that in order to solve the problems of women in Turkey, its problem of democracy needs to be solved first. She also talked about the problems of women in Turkey.

Concerns about economic and emotional abuse

Some details from the meeting were as follows:

* UNFPA has been supporting journalists in the region with the Media Support Program since 2014.

* The works to cover gender-based violence (GBV) in a more comprehensive manner will continue in following years.

* It is especially important to document the consequences of Syria crisis.

* It was underlined in the meeting that violence is not only physical, but emotional and economic as well.

* The importance of reporting on GBV was emphasized.

* A highly comprehensive discussion covering printed media, online, radio and social media was held in the meeting.

* The suggestions put forward in the meeting will be extended and published online in the days to come. (EMK/SD)