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SLPI-UNESCO workshop addresses challenges faced by women in media
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From L to R: Eric Falt, Kumar Nadesan, P.N. Meegaswatte and Seetha Ranjani
The Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) in collaboration with the UNESCO New Delhi office held a two-day workshop, “Women in Media and Safety” with the aim of promoting the safety of women journalists in the country.
Held on February 26 and 27 at Cinnamon Lakeside Hotel in Colombo, the workshop was designed to build the capacity of women journalists working in the field while also focussing on other key aspects of safety like harassment in the workplace and online safety.
The event was inaugurated by a panel comprising Director and UNESCO Representative, New Delhi Eric Falt, Chairperson Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) Kumar Nadesan, Secretary General, Sri Lanka National Commission for UNESCO Dr P. N. Meegaswatte, and senior journalist activist Seetha Ranjani.
Speaking at the inauguration SLPI CEO Kumar Lopez said the workshop was designed to understand the key challenges faced by women media practitioners in their line of duty as well and to adopt a solution-based approach towards strengthening press freedom and gender representation in the newsroom.
Mr Nadesan in his address explained the current Sri Lankan media landscape. “Though the situation has bettered in the last one decade, we need to follow closely. Not just women, male journalists are also at risk. It concerns us all,” he said pointing out to global statistics where 19 per cent of journalists killed worldwide in the last three-four years, have been women.
While emphasising the United Nations’ resolve to promote gender equality and strengthen freedom of expression, Mr Falt said that UNESCO, in line with the Sustainable Development Goal 5—eliminating violence against women journalists—is committed towards building capacity of women media practitioners. “At UNESCO, we believe that gender equality in the media sector is a critical precondition for press freedom. This workshop is a testimony of our commitment to promote capacity development of women journalists who are at the centre of our development narrative,” he said.
Dr Meegaswatte, in his address, highlighted the struggles and needs of women in the field of journalism. “In Sri Lanka, despite a significant increase in the number of women working in the media, especially in the English language media, women journalists continue to struggle in environments that are either unsafe or not conducive for women media professionals. There is a special need to support women journalists’ psychological needs due to the fact that trauma and gender dimensions of journalists’ safety has been largely ignored in many initiatives in post-war Sri Lanka,” he added.
Ms Ranjani, who has decades of experience working with the media, delivered the keynote address. She shared her personal experience as a journalist and expressed the hardships she and her contemporaries had undergone during and post-war era. “There is a serious need of studies and data to give us a clear picture of where we stand in terms of safety and media freedom. We need to fight challenges like surveillance together,” she said.
The workshop addressed the current media climate in the country and its impact on women in the profession, work ethics, legal framework for women’s employment and safety. It also looked at issues of trauma and stress management along with digital safety and security.