Respite appears to be in the offing for girls and women who are major victims and who mostly bear the brunt of societal issues. This notion was elicited at the one-day media workshop tagged “Mainstreaming gender reporting on affirmative action of women and girls rights issues” held recently at the International Press Centre, Ogba, Lagos.

The workshop was premised on the successful one-month media monitoring report on the portrayal and reportage of women and girls rights issues in six national newspapers in Nigeria, implemented by Journalists for Christ (JFC), Nigeria with the support of World Association for Christian Communication (WACC).

The Executive Director of CEE HOPE Nigeria, Betty Abah, who made the first presentation at the event, noted that there is no conscious reporting on women issues in the media. She asserted that women’s voices are repeatedly silenced and only men’s voices are heard, and not only in the media but in every sphere of human foray.
After reeling out stories behind pictures of the women in her photo-archive who had gone through various challenges plaguing women in the country, she admonished media representatives to bring to the fore issues of girls who live on the street, female child hawkers who end up raped and pregnant, teenage pregnancy, women displaced by Boko Haram, girl child education, educated and uneducated victims of domestic violence, circumcision; which she says is still rife in the country.
The gender advocate wants the media to also focus on the rising cases of baby factory issues. “Government’s adoption process is shoddy and people are not patient, so they visit baby factories. This is a factor that will make it thrive. Important questions should also be asked: what happens to the girls who produce the babies after their release from the baby factories? Were they rehabilitated?” she averred.

She also mentioned that girl child marriage which is still prevalent in the country especially in the northern parts should be stopped because most victims of this kind of marriage are susceptible to vasicovaginal Fistula (VVF). She said that every child has a right to choose, a right to childhood, a right to good health and these rights should not be violated.

Also speaking at the workshop on the topic: “Tips on mainstreaming women and girls issues in the media”, Lekan Otufodunrin, the President of JFC, who also the Editor, Online, the Nation newspapers, noted that it seems women have accepted their issues as the norm and so they are not speaking about them. “If women are not promoting and enforcing their issues, men won’t be interested and would be unable to help them,” he said. He added that female journalists should braze up to speak up and not just let it go when they encounter difficulty getting their stories published. “If you have a story that is not published, start a blog or post it on your social media network. It will alleviate the pains and despair associated in not publishing your story,” he said.
Development journalist and gender advocate, Jacqueline Ogoh, shared perspectives on the trend in media reportage of women and girls issues. She said: “Reporters must know how to report violence effectively. They must inform the public that a rape victim should not take a bath before medical examination so as not to erase evidence. The media must understand that rape victims would talk if their confidentiality can be kept, hence, the need to make available fictitious names and secret numbers on radio and newspapers where victims can make anonymous calls.”
Ogoh stated that the trend whereby law enforcement agents ask female victims of domestic violence questions such as what she did to aggravate her husband should be stopped; instead, they should investigate cases properly. She declared: “It is wrong for a policeman to ask a woman what she did that made her husband beat her; such a question promotes injustice and expands crime.”
Ogoh warned against parents who push their children into marriage, “Parental desperation makes parents force their children into marriage where some of them eventually become victims of domestic violence.”

The Director, International Press Centre, Lanre Arogundade, wrapped up the workshop with the theme “Advancing the reportage on women and girls.” He highlighted the need to legalize laws governing women and girls issues. He also said the media should promote more women as role models, “If the media promote more men, they would be looked upon as role models,” he said.
Arogundade also noted that celebrities can be used to advance the course of women issues if they are quoted more as sources. He said: “How many times are role models used as sources to lend their voice to gender issues? If a celebrity like Tuface Idibia or Omotola Ekeinde condemns rape, most Nigerian youths who see them as role models would also condemn it.”

Arogundade affirmed that reports should correct stereotypical and gender issues and not play to religious sentiments of rapists who claim to be pushed by the devil or the way a woman is dressed. He condemned any form of excuse to rape a woman.
He further added that the media has a social responsibility to report issues affecting women to the society and not just feature stories on fashion and lifestyle alone. According to him, women should be given the voice to commend on topical issues like war, corruption, elections, electricity tariff and how it affects their income.
             

At the end of the workshop, participants pledged to advance the cause by building public understanding and support for women’s rights for democratic, political, socio-economic development and integration.