Media is one of the most important vehicles capable of increasing public awareness on any specific issue including the protection and promotion of women’s rights, gender based violence and other related sensitive matters via delivering clear messages to the target audience. Transformation of negative stereotypes around women as well as perceptions on gender based violence would not be possible unless there is an active media involvement.
The outreach activities by the GBV PCU aimed at national and local media strive to address this problem. The representatives of the project participate at different seminars and workshops aiming at raising awareness among the media representatives in general and improving their reporting skills in particular.
On May 26, 2009 the representatives of the GBV PCU participated in the workshop for media representatives with the presentation on “Women’s rights: the obligations of the Azerbaijani government to CEDAW. The role of the media in addressing the GBV”. The workshop was organized by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Azerbaijan and brought together the representatives of several UN agencies, the representatives of the Human Rights Commissioner (Ombudsman) of Azerbaijan Republic, the Country Director of the “International Media Support” as well as journalists representing national and local media agencies. The workshop aimed at providing the audience consisting of 30 people with the information on UN human rights system, UN treaty-based mechanisms, major UN treaties, the issues related to human rights and ethics in media, women and child rights and other related topics.
The CGBV Project representatives provided the participants with comprehensive information on major international women’s rights document – CEDAW, the process of its development, the major issues addressed by the treaty, its ratification status as well as the obligations of the Azerbaijani government under this document. A second section of the presentation was on the issues concerning major gender concepts, gender definitions, gender stereotypes, gender discrimination, various forms of GBV, its causes and consequences, costs of GBV and analysis of the GBV coverage in media. The special emphasis was placed on raising the issues of absent media law provisions on GBV, on guidelines and codes of conduct for media representatives.
“Media plays an enormous role in shaping the perceptions around women and their respective roles in a society. Conducting the workshop for journalists reporting on gender issues is very important. Media must demonstrate neutrality and impartiality reporting on such a sensitive issue” said the project consultant.
The speech was followed by the demonstration of the PSA “Life betrayed” produced within the frame of the GBV project in Azerbaijan. The workshop participants also had a chance to discuss these issues during the questions and answers session that followed the presentation.
The workshops for journalists and media representatives on highlighting GBV related issues and roundtables on covering gender and GBV issues in the media are planned to be held throughout the project lifetime.
