NAWOJ, Ikra Foundation team up to empower journalists in reporting SGVB cases in Bauchi
Story from Beatrice EARLAND, Bauchi
The Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), in collaboration with Ikra Foundation for Women and Youth Development and Justice Cluster, organized a one-day training on Best Practices in Reportage of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGVB) cases for women journalists in Bauchi State.
The training, held on Wednesday at the NUJ Secretariat in Bauchi, focused on reporting SGVB cases from the perspective of survivors, emphasizing a survivor-centered approach.
Facilitating the training via Google Meet, Amina Garuba, the executive director of Ikra Foundation, emphasized the importance of reporting SGVB cases in the best interest of the survivors. She cautioned against promoting the perpetrators, even though it might be more sensational to do so.
Garuba further emphasized that SGVB reports should empathize with the survivors, reduce stigma and victim-blaming, and foster public awareness and understanding. She stressed the need to protect the identity and confidentiality of survivors and base the reporting on their terms.
“Protect their identity and confidentiality. You should prioritize their well-being. Also, avoid using victim-blaming language and judgmental words in headlines. Instead, use survivor-centered language and challenge stereotypes. Provide information on local support services and organizations addressing SGVB in your content,” Garuba advised.
Bamidele Jacobs, representing Lawyers Alert, also spoke during the training. He urged the women journalists to allow survivors to share their narratives on their own terms, respecting their confidentiality. He emphasized the importance of thoroughly verifying information from multiple credible sources before going to press.
In her remarks, Mrs. Rashida Yusuf Mohammed, Chairperson of NAWOJ in the state, commended the organizers and other stakeholders for attending the training despite their tight schedules. She highlighted that the state’s administration had signed the VAPP into law in 2022 to eliminate all forms of violence and punish those found guilty.
“As women journalists, we have been trained to equip ourselves on how to address cases of SGBV, which have become rampant in our society,” Mrs. Mohammed said, urging participants to put their training into practice to rid the state and the country as a whole of SGVB.
One of the resource persons, Mrs. Esther Patrick, the Gender Officer of the State Ministry of Women Affairs and Child Development, shared that a dashboard had been introduced in the ministry for proper documentation of SGBV cases. Patrick also mentioned the state’s launch of a technical team on gender, where desk officers work closely with other relevant ministries, agencies, and parastatals to tackle the menace. She urged the participants to maximize their professionalism and be the voice of the voiceless by exposing perpetrators.
With this training, women journalists in Bauchi State are now better equipped to handle SGVB cases with sensitivity and professionalism, contributing to the broader goal of eliminating such violence from society.