Media intervention type 5
The African Woman and Child Information Network (AWC) was established in 1994 to address a perceived absence of women networking, expressing women's views, and writing on children's issues inside Kenya and in neighbouring countries. The founders, Rosemary Okello and Juliana Omale, are two journalists who have written on women's and children's issues from a progressive perspective. "This is a media NGO, attempting to sensitise journalists, and setting an agenda for media development," explains Juliana Omale. "We are trying to set standards about the way we envisage this country, through a revision of media ethics, election campaigns, and issues of governance in general. We are particularly concerned about how issues relate to women and affect them in this country."
AWC, which is based in Nairobi, focuses in particular on policy advocacy, training, and especially, content development in the context of gender awareness. Its wide range of activities includes the publication and distribution of news bulletins; research; consultation; frequent publications on media and gender issues; a media-monitoring programme; a variety of campaigns and workshops on such issues as small arms, conflict, and investigative reporting; and advocacy for changes in media law and policy. AWC's Feature Service provides articles to the media that highlight the plight of women.
AWC has also co-ordinated the Editors' Guild and Media Industry Steering Committee (MISC). The editors' project involved the monitoring of language used while reporting conflict and violence issues during the general elections. The meetings for the editors concentrate on informing the media industry on issues affecting democracy and governance. Furthermore, AWC has used the Editor's Guild as an entry point to try and influence policy around gender coverage. The result has been that editors have agreed to develop guidelines on how to cover gender issues and elections, and to highlight issues related to gender violence.
The organisation has also undertaken a project on national policies on women's reproductive health through the media, which involved both publications and training of women journalists, particularly those working in specialised areas that might influence legislation and policy. An outcome of this project was the publication of a series of handbooks for journalists on economics, courts, parliament and policy analysis that serve as simple introductory reference books for journalists interested in undertaking specialised writing.
AWC has conducted training on a range of other issues, and provided training for trainers, with an eye to women's empowerment, encouraging, for example, women's participation in the Constitutional Reform Process.
The media environment The constitution grants the press and Kenyan citizens freedom of speech. However, the Kenyan government has always attempted to limit freedom of expression. Despite this, the Kenyan media is the most diverse in East Africa, with a large middle class providing a base for substantial advertising revenue. Recent liberalisation of broadcasting has had a profound effect in Nairobi, but outside the main urban centres state-run KBC provides the only domestic radio and TV for many listeners and viewers. Most Kenyans rely on the broadcast media, particularly radio, for news.
Journalism in the private media is lively and informed and the era of self-censorship has largely passed. The climate of media freedom has improved although incidents continue to be reported in which journalists are arrested and harassed. Moves by the government in 2000 to ban radio broadcasts in languages other than Swahili and English came to nothing, and vernacular broadcasting still thrives.
A media bill passed in May 2002 was criticised by rights groups who said it would muzzle the press, especially in the run-up to presidential elections. The bill significantly raised publishing fees and gave the government more control over the distribution of papers and magazines.
The Media Communication and Empowerment projectOnly one woman was present at the 1962 Lancaster House talks that led to
independence. In the 1969 elections, Grace Onyango became the first African
female elected MP (Kisumu Town). Since then the number of female MPs has never
risen beyond 4 per cent. Following the 1992 elections, Nyiva Mwendwa became
the first woman cabinet minister when president Moi appointed her to head Culture
and Social Services. ... Currently the only high ranking woman in Kenya is Dr.
Sally Kosgei who is the permanent secretary to the cabinet.
Nation Millennium Souvenir Issues, December 31, 1999
AWC's Media Communication and Empowerment project seeks to support women's empowerment through better access to the mass media. An important objective is to equip women who wish to enter politics with skills to access and use the media effectively. In the past, women's perspectives have often been overlooked. This was especially true when only one party existed in Kenya, but since the introduction of multi-party politics (2001) and the liberalisation of the airwaves, the situation has not significantly improved.
"What is important to us," says Juliana Omale, "is to stress how women represent half of the population in this country and the rest of the world. However, because of patriarchy, their views are completely ignored on the national, regional and international agendas. How can we be talking about conflict, peace, democracy, and governance, when we do not address half of the population, which is oppressed? Are they not involved in these conflicts?"
To address these issues, AWC has conducted workshops on Media, Democracy, and Governance; media encounters with politicians; and encounters between aspiring women politicians and journalists. It also used the AWC Feature Service to assist women candidates in attracting media coverage, and to cultivate rapport with the media correspondents. In general, journalists are unaware of the issues that concern women, says Omale, and even if they do take an interest in women's issues, they find it difficult to provide adequate coverage, due to popular indifference.
Workshops
The workshops, organised by AWC in collaboration with the League of Kenya Women Voters, have given journalists the opportunity to meet the women candidates, and to better understand the issues with which they are concerned. Participants were mainly women candidates for the 2002 General Election, and journalists representing the major media houses. The workshops included formal addresses, presentations of papers by media experts, and group discussions.
For example, Ezekiel Mutua, secretary general of the Kenya Union of Journalists, presented a paper on The Role of the Media in Enhancing Gender Parity in the Democratisation Process. He urged women to be assertive in order to gain access to the media, and encouraged journalists to develop professional guidelines and codes of conduct to promote non-stereotyped images of women, and to address the critical issues of violence and degrading or pornographic materials concerning women in the media, including advertising. Beyond that, he said, women need more opportunities to participate in decision-making positions at all levels of the media.
During the discussions that followed the presentations, issues that emerged included media access; the qualifications and preparedness of women as candidates and sources of information; attitudes of the media towards women; the need for women to take the initiative in educating and organising themselves, and raising funds; the potential of 'non-conventional' media channels such as churches, funerals, and weddings; and the possibilities of established media providing dedicated coverage to women's issues and women candidates.
Rosemary Okello of AWC challenged both journalists and women aspirants to re-examine the approach of the media with respect to the breadth of coverage - the amount of attention devoted to women's issues and women candidates; the depth of coverage - including, for instance, the types of sources consulted and the level of analysis undertaken; and the angle of coverage - the attitudes and objectives that inform the coverage, including especially, broadening the perspective to include views beyond those of male-dominated ruling structures.
Aspiring women politicians during the presentations and group discussions that took place at the workshops identified several impediments that affect full and equal participation of women in the political process. These were: o Traditions that forbid them to speak before an assembly of men o Religious and patriarchal restrictions o Lack of media access and the fact that they have no constituency in the media o Lack of education o Language barriers o Lack of human and financial resources o Immobilisation by the fear that they will attract scandal o Fear that their families will ostracise them out of shame and fear
Journalists, in turn, identified factors, which they said impeded the participation of women in the political process, and especially, their access to the media. For one thing, explained the journalists, many of the prospective women politicians were 'novices', with whom journalists had no prior contact. They also said that they were not sufficiently familiar with the issues, which concerned women. In addition, said the journalists, many female politicians were either media-shy, or inarticulate, in contrast to men who were more media-savvy. Finally, according to the journalists, women projected their identity crises and inferiority complexes into their public lives
Together, with the facilitation of AWC personnel, journalists and the aspiring women politicians agreed on a number of steps, which might tend to level the playing field. Prospective female politicians, it was suggested, should cultivate personal relationships with editors and correspondents, make themselves available to the media, and keep in mind the pressures of deadlines that the media are forced to adhere to. They might well benefit from the establishment of a website addressing the needs of prospective female politicians, as well as the assistance of public relations consultants with insights into the workings of the media. From the side of the media, it was suggested that it should make a conscious effort to profile prospective women candidates.
Impact
Rosemary Okello believes that the 'empowerment' workshops provide women with valuable knowledge, skills, and self-confidence. 'Women normally realise their potential, especially when they see the commonalties in their experiences, and they feel more ready to go out and do something about it. When these women get together and listen and talk and discuss such important issues, they are more eager to contribute towards issues of governance and democracy because they are clearer about where they stand." As for a more general social impact, Okello declares, 'It is only when they are involved at all levels of governance and [in all political] processes that we can talk about eliminating violence, conflict, and ethnic discrimination.'
'It's not always easy'
AWC's effectiveness is clearly enhanced by its collaborations with a variety of other organisations inside and outside Africa, which it allow it to extend its reach and take advantage of limited resources, says Juliana Omale. The organisation currently has six full-time members, a few more part-time workers, unpaid interns, and correspondents. She notes that the going is not always easy, both financially and socially. Sometimes the AWC staff workers are perceived as outsiders or subject to derogatory comments from voices in government and/or the community: "I am not going to go to jail because of what I do, or anything like this," she says, "but for example, I go under a certain label because I go against the grain. You go out of your socially expected role in the family and professionally. Especially with non-media people."
The efforts of AWC have nevertheless paid off: "Within the media environment, people know us. We are by no means some huge, national NGO but I think we do pretty well in achieving our objectives. The good thing about doing this work is that we can be taken seriously at forums where women are rarely taken seriously, like at media forums." One challenge facing AWC, says Omale, is to avoid a perception of elitism. "It depends of course, on whom you are interacting with, but when it comes to people in slums, abused women, and other oppressed groups, then we have to make an effort at all times to show how much we care."
Campaign on domestic violence
Gender violence is a governance and democracy issue.
Juliana Omale
Kenyan law does not specifically outlaw violence against women but rather
it criminalises general violence against other individuals. Thus, Kenya needs
laws that criminalise domestic violence and other forms of violence meted out
to women because they are women.
Rosemary Okello
AWC takes the position that instead of taking action to end domestic violence,
Kenya's political leaders have chosen to blame it on economic hardship resulting
from policies forced on Kenya by the World Bank and IMF as conditions for economic
assistance. In response, AWC launched a campaign focused on domestic violence.
Media campaign
AWC Feature Service conducted a one-year media campaign in 1999 to focus attention
on domestic violence and encourage women to speak out on the issue. AWC sought,
through the campaign, to demonstrate the links between domestic violence, reproductive
rights, and health issues in general.
The independent newspaper The Nation ran articles providing information on where
women could seek help, and published interviews with policemen, psychologists,
and opinion leaders focusing on domestic violence. This coverage was supplemented
by data provided by AWC from hospitals and police headquarters to help put the
scale and scope of violence against women into perspective.
Workshops
One important element of the Campaign on Domestic Violence was a training workshop
for journalists from Southern Africa region, which was organised under the auspices
of GEM (the African Gender and Media Initiative), an initiative launched by
AWC Features in collaboration with South Africa-based Gender Links and Zimbabwe-based
Inter Press Service. The primary outcome of the workshop was the publication
of a handbook for journalists on how to report on issues of domestic violence
entitled Fighting Violence Against Women; A Training Manual for Journalists
The manual takes the position that the family, the state, the market, the health
system, the media, and the legal system are all sites of gender violence. It
observes that inadequate coverage is given to the issue of gender-based violence
perpetrated by police, the military, and other security forces - and especially
the violence these security forces engage in during times of civil strife. Even
when civil strife and war feature prominently in the media, issues such as the
use of rape is a weapon of subjugation, and the suffering of women and children
as a result of violent conflict receive relatively little coverage.
In fact, according to the manual "negative and stereotypical images of women
in the media, and the ways in which the media reports on gender-based violence
(as a lesser crime or violation)" contribute to acceptance in the public of
gender-based violence. The manual addresses the issue of violence with respect
to a range of issues including custom and tradition, the criminal justice system,
the family, HIV/aids, reproductive rights, and harassment.
AWC was also involved in organising another training workshop, in collaboration
with the SADC on Covering Violence Against Women. The workshop was followed
up with the publication of a workshop newsletter and a report which looked at
the occurrence of violence against women, its coverage in the media, and strategies
for combating it. One of the fundamental findings was "that there can be no
peace outside the home if there is no peace within it. One is directly related
and interconnected to the other." The report also includes a paper by Delfina
Mugabe entitled The Impact of Armed Conflict on Women: The Mozambican Experience,
which details the hardship, abuse, violence, and degradation to which women
were subjected both during and after the conflict in Mozambique. Mugabe suggests
that violence against women exists outside conflict situations but its incidence
increases during wartime and it is "used as a weapon to weaken communities".
More specifically, rape can be both systematic and endemic during conflict "and
is a brutal expression of power".
The impact
The workshop newsletter (Our Right/Write, No. 1) notes the success of the campaign,
suggesting that the media has played a role in reducing apathy towards domestic
violence. Kenyans are gradually moving towards open debate, it says, but there
is still a long way to go. Overall, AWC believes that the campaign stimulated
considerable debate. Although there was silence among high-ranking male government
officials, women MPs began asking questions about why women were not reporting
cases of domestic violence, and hearing, all too often, that the answer was
that their cases were not serious enough to warrant action.
Resources
www.bbc.com
www.tvradioworld.com
www.nationaudio.com
Facts and Figures; Rights of the Child' African Woman and Child Feature Service
and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, 2000
International Journalist' Network www.ijnet.org/Profile/Africa/Kenya/media.html
U.S. State Department. Background Notes: Republic of Kenya, March 1998. Office
of East African Affairs, Bureau of African Affairs: 1998. www.state.gov/www/background_notes/kenya_0398_bgn.html
U.S. Department of State. Kenya Country Report on Human Rights Practices for
1998. Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor: 1999. www.state.gov/www/global/human_rights/1998_hrp_report/kenya.html
Freedom House. News of the Century - Press Freedom 1999. Freedom House, 1999.
www.freedomhouse.org/pfs99/reports.html
Network for the Defence of Independent Media in Africa (NDIMA). 'Minister Threatens
Press.' Media alert sent October 20, 1998. www.ifex.org/alert/00003772.html
The Committee to Protect Journalists. Country Report: Kenya. Committee to Protect
Journalists, December 31, 1998. www.cpj.org/countrystatus/1998/Africa/Kenya.html
Network for the Defence of Independent Media in Africa. www.oneworld.org/ndima/
Burnheim, Sally. The Right to Communicate: The Internet in Africa. Article 19,
London: 1999
www.article19.org/pubs/internet.htm www.rcbowen.com/kenya/government/moi.html
African Women and Child Information Network www.econewsafrica.org/panos/Kenya.html
www.freedomhouse.org/pfs99/reports.html www.ijnet.org/profile/africa/kenya/media.html
Colleen Lowe-Morna [ed], Whose News? Whose Views? Southern Africa: Gender in
Media Handbook, Gender Links and European Union [Conference, Workshop, and Cultural
Initiative Fund]
Flame/Flamme, [African daily newspaper of 'Women 2000: Gender Equality, Development
and Peace for the 21st Century', see http://flamme.org]
Note
1 This article is based on a visit to Kenya´s Woman and Child Media Information
Network that took place before the December 2002 national elections.