Actionaid Nigeria urges female journalists to amplify voices of vulnerable women

Actionaid Nigeria, a non-governmental organisation, has called on female journalists to always amplify voices of women, particularly the most vulnerable women in humanitarian context and exclude communities.

The organisation, which engaged 30 female journalists from Kogi, Nasarawa and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in a three-day media training on Feminist Journalism and Counter Narratives for Peace Building held at Goshen Guest House in Nasarawa State, also resolved that female journalists should understand that feminism is a battle of the sexes not a call for equal rights for women and men.

A communiqué released at the end of the event, urged female journalists to “Be more deliberate in amplifying voices of women, particularly the most vulnerable women in humanitarian context and excluded communities.

“Practise solutions journalism and be consciously supportive of conflict mitigation as opposed to fanning the embers of bitterness. Deliberately seek to understand the power dynamics behind every story, particularly how hidden powers influence the truth.

“Constantly seek to shift power to the voiceless, particularly women, by using multiple platforms, online and offline to amplify their voices; lack of power is a form of poverty, and poverty is linked to the drivers to conflict.”

The communiqué also stated that female journalists should find a way of making parties in conflict situation ventilate and express their grievances in a balanced way, adding that “peace building initiatives through reports and campaigns targeted at duty bearers to address early warning signs through their publications and reports”.

“Identify peace builders in a conflict and give them platforms to promote peace in conflict situations as part of peace journalism.

The Coalition against Corruptleaders(caCOL) has said Nigeria must urgently take measures to address impunity and set up an Electoral Offences Commission to address the violence which has characterised recent elections in the country.

CACOL lamented the inability of security agencies and the Independent National Electoralcommission(inec) to punish politicians who perpetrate electoral violence in the country, stressing that the trend portends danger for the nation’s democracy.

Elections in Nigeria have increasingly become controversial and violence-ridden in recent years due to desperation on the part of politicians to win at all cost.

According to INEC and security agencies, more than 10 people were killed in the recently concluded Bayelsa and Kogi States’ gubernatorial elections including a women leader of the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Kogi State.

This,has,however,prompted outcry from stakeholders who have called for concerted effort to deal with the trend.

But speaking in an interview with BDSUNDAY, , Chairman of CACOL, Debo Adeniran said the trend had continued because of inability of government to punish culprits.

Adeniranurgedthegovernment to put pressure on the National Assembly to pass the Electoral Offences Commission bill, saying that it was necessary to bring sanity into the electoral process.

According to him, “A situation where people rigged elections and get away with it and still remain in public office, collectsalaryandarenotfound guilty is not helping us.

“And that is why we are asking for the kind of Electoral Offences Commission to be set up so that it would monitor electoral offences and get people investigated, prosecuted and punished.

“Just like we are making progress in the fight against corruption, we should also make progress in the areas of conducting elections in the country.