Vision Spring Initiatives Trains Southwest Journalists On Gender-Based Violence, Seeks Investigative Report

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A Non-Governmental Organization, and advocator of gender-based violence issues, Vision Spring Initiatives, has trained Southwest Journalists on intersectionality and gender-based violence of girl-child, urging to engage more in investigative reports that revealed the impact of gender-based violence.

The NGO advised that Journalists and media practitioners should always do an investigative report that paints a bigger picture of the phenomenon of violence against women, rather than projecting women as victims all the time.

Speaking at the event, Omolara Oriye who is a social change and justice advocator pointed out that it is pertinent to avoid the use of stereotypes in the portrayal of women, sensationalistic and blown-up titles that highlight the brutal details in accounts about violence against women.

On the topic, “Reporting Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), “Intersectionality of Rights in Media Reporting,” Oriye, posited that journalists should avoid the use of some registered words in painting stories of rape incidents, noting that words like (defilement) can make survivors of rape incident to be more emotionally injured rather than the perpetrators.

According to her, “The media advocacy on access to SRHR will lead to an abandonment of discriminatory practices and encourage policies and practices that will enable women to take control of their SRHR by expressing their demands and finding solutions to their problems”.

“Journalists and editors are advised to make their reporting gender sensitive by avoiding the use of stereotypes in their portrayal of women, sensationalistic and blown-up titles that highlight the brutal details in their accounts about violence against women, and by focusing on investigative stories that paint a bigger picture of the phenomenon of violence against women, its causes and consequences. Media must assume a more active role in the prevention of violence against women and always keep in mind the effects of their stories when this type of violence is concerned”.

“To report professionally and with impact, journalists need training on Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) to not only help put SRHR issues into perspective but also help change negative and retrogressive cultural norms. We recognize SRHR as an advocacy issue and the media being a key partner in driving this agenda.”

Oriye added that it is pertinent that everyone should be sensitive to intersectionality while writing their reports on gender and SRHR matters.

“Intersectionality recognizes that people’s lives are shaped by their identities, relationships, and social factors. These combine to create intersecting forms of privilege and oppression depending on a person’s context and existing power structures such as patriarchy, ableism, colonialism, imperialism, homophobia, and racism.”

Meanwhile, the Project Director of Vision Spring initiatives, Ngozi Nwosu-Juba in her opening remark noted that VSI has done so much through advocacy, empowerment, education, and training on gender Equality, girl- Child, Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights and all issues relating to the vulnerable in the society whose certain laws and policies of government have affected, adding that media should always reports more on these to further draw government attention on the issues.

She posited that nobody should be discriminated against and no one must be left behind in attaining their rights.

End.