AU to work with journalists to end harmful traditions
AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The union will work with the media to fight harmful traditional practices.
What you need to know:
- The AU, through the African Union Commission, in conjunction with Unicef, among other stakeholders, has organised regional training to foster collaboration with the media.
- The main objective is to enhance awareness, garner support to advocacy-based reporting and mobilise social behavioural changes at all levels against the traditional practices.
Journalists and gender and media scholars are set to play a vital role in helping win the fight against harmful cultural practices in Africa.
The African Union (AU) is spearheading efforts to bring on board gender journalists, scholars and lectures in the ongoing campaign against female genital mutilation (FGM) and child marriages, virginity testing, bride kidnapping, infanticide (killing of infants like girls or twins due to superstitions), stoning mostly due to adultery, breast ironing to prevent promiscuity, and widow inheritance.
The AU, through the African Union Commission (AUC), in conjunction with Unicef, among other stakeholders, has organised regional training to foster collaboration with the media. The week-long media training in Sensitive Reporting on Harmful Practices is being held in Nairobi. Participants include gender journalists and scholars from 10 eastern and southern African countries—Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Somalia, South-Africa, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia and Mozambique.
The main objective is to enhance awareness, garner support to advocacy-based reporting and mobilise social behavioural changes at all levels against the traditional practices.
During the official opening of the event, Ms Nena Thundu, the coordinator of the Ending Harmful Practices at the UAC, said the media are key to making the campaign a success. She noted growing evidence that access to information is critical in ending harmful cultural practices.
“When the media facilitate easy access to information, they help change perception and attitudes and also makes the governments initiate policy and law change to curb this menace.”
Ms Thundu said the AU is committed to fighting the practices, which, she said, are the leading atrocities committed against women and girls on the continent. She commended journalists for their role in the campaign, adding that her organisation will continue to strengthen media capacity through training.
Dr Eddward Addai, the director of Unicef Liaison Office in Addis-Abba, Ethiopia, appealed to the media to amplify the challenges preventing children, especially girls, from realising their full potential.
Dr Addai observed that if things continue as they area, the realisation of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 on eliminating such harmful practices will remain a mirage.
“The good news is that we know what we need to do to end child marriage and FGM in Africa. The media need to hold everyone, who is involved in the fight against these harmful practices, accountable and keep the conversation going. The media should also ensure their reporting is ethical, is of public interest and is to the best interest of the child.”
He said 130 million girls in Africa have been married in their childhood, while 140 million others have undergone FGM.
Mona Aika, a child protection specialist at Unicef Eastern and Southern Africa Region office, said they are committed to partnering with the media, among other sectors, to end harmful practices. She noted that patriarchy and poverty are increasingly pushing young girls and boys to be married off.
Ms Aika revealed that the East and Southern Africa region has 50 million child brides, with Ethiopian topping the list. Four in 10 young women in Ethiopia were married or were in a union before their 18th birthday.
Bryan Tumusiime from AUC underscored the importance of the media in raising awareness of harmful practices, exposing perpetrators and influencing behaviour change within communities.
According to Unicef, about 200 million girls and women have undergone FGM, with 80 per cent of them coming from 28 countries.
