Karonga District Council in collaboration with Umunthu Plus has asked journalists to promote awareness on gender equality and gender-based violence (GBV).
Umunthu Plus Karonga district coordinator Sabina Malema said this on Saturday after the organisation conducted a training on gender reporting for Karonga Press Club members.
In an interview, she said journalists have platforms to amplify messages to reach many people, including those in rural areas.
Said Malema: “The media has that power to change people’s attitudes and mindset towards GBV and gender equality.
“Therefore, we expect journalists to make good use of the knowledge acquired during the training to report well on GBV.”
On her part, Karonga district principal gender development officer Ireen Mwenelupembe said the training came at the right time when the district is grappling with GBV.
“The media plays a crucial role when it comes to information dissemination; hence, organising the training to empower them with information on the same,” she said.
In his presentation, Karonga Press Club chairperson Adams Wundaninge emphasised the need for the media to fill the gaps in gender reporting.
“We thank the two institutions for the training. It has provided useful knowledge to journalists on how to write stories and produce programmes on GBV,” he said.
With funding from Tilitonse Foundation in partnership with Comic Relief under Shifting the Power Programme, Umunthu Plus is implementing Community Action For Gender Empowerment Project in the district.
Mwenelupembe: Media plays a crucial role. I Jordan Simeon-Phiri
