Female journalists seek protection

In a declaration at the end of a three-day gender sensitive reporting workshop in Monrovia, participating journalists unanimously called on the PUL to commit media managers to ensuring that female journalists are encouraged to form part of editorial and managerial teams.

"The Press Union of Liberia must take pro- active steps towards ensuring that specialized policies are properly applied," the declaration read by a female journalist said, obligating the Union to also ensure that a collective bargaining agreement is adopted and implemented to the fore.

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"The Press Union of Liberia shall ensure adequate protection for all women as they carry out their roles within the media," the declaration emphasized.

The document also mandates the PUL to work towards the continuous upgrading of the skills of women in the media and take greater effort to protect journalists from sexual harassment in the work place.

"The Press Union of Liberia shall work with editors and media managers to emphasize the importance of gender issues in their publications and broadcasts," the document maintained.

The three basic concepts of the gender and media situation in Liberia highlighted reviewing the media gender policy, concepts in mainstreaming girls/women in the media as well as a contextual review of the access to information.

The workshop was held under the auspices of the Press Union of Liberia and the West African Journalists Association WAJA) to gain better understanding and appreciation of gender sensitivity in news reporting.

Facilitators were drawn from WAJA, PUL, Female Journalists Association (FEJA) and E-Jicom.