UN Women Calls on African Journalists to Increase Focus on Women’s Issues

Ethiopia – The UN Women Representative to Ethiopia, Letty Chiwara, has called on journalists to increase the number of stories reported on women in their outlets.

Report by Bettie K. Johnson Mbayo, [email protected]

She says though there is male dominance in the media, women stories must be told to show their difference in respective countries.

She spoke at the opening of four-day training in Addis, Ethiopia, Ababa where scores of journalist are attending.

The training theme is “Gender-Responsive storytelling and documentation stories of success”  which give way for the African Ministerial pre-consultative meeting on the commission on the status of women sixty-two (CSW 62nd)

Chiwara urged journalists to tell stories of rural women because they are the unsung heroes.

“Media is an opinion shaper because of the role they play in society, so you must report accurately on the success stories of African rural women,” she said.

Media trainer Karen Williams also urged journalists to be gender sensitive in their reporting.

She called on journalists to compete with their male counterparts in making sure that women stories are at the FrontPage of each outlet.

The CSW 62nd theme is Challenges and opportunities in achieving gender equality and empowerment of rural women and girls to be held at the African Union Commission.

There are several sessions which include update on roles and responsibilities for partners where speakers will come from African Union (AU), Economic commission for Africa (ECA) United Nations, UN Women and United Nation for Development Program (UNDP).

There are over 50 participants where two representatives are from Liberia namely, Naomi Saydee, Expert- National Coordinator Joint program on Rural Women of the Ministry of Gender and Deputy Secretary General for Administration of the Federation of Liberian Youth (FLY) Daintowon Paybayee.