WHERE 1 ARE THE WOMEN? asks Dr Nasha, Speaker of the NationalBOTSWANA Assembly MEDIA REPORT GENDER POLICY INVITATION BOTSWANA August 29, 2013 MEDIA GENDER POLICY Cresta President Hotel Gaborone, Botswana Printed by Printing and Publishing Company of Botswana BOTSWANA MEDIA GENDER POLICY INVITATION 2 Printed by Printing and Publishing Company of Botswana WELCOMING GUEST OF HONOUR: MmaNasha flanked by Kasale and Ntsabane Botswana Media unite to mainstream gender in content and in top management positions AST THURSDAY was a mile- sha who was the Guest speaker, as well as UNFPA stone for media in Botswana as Country Representative, a Gender Policy was launched Lto be used by practitioners in Aisha Camara-Drammeh, Kelebogile Kgabi from the their studios and newsrooms as well Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs, the Attorney ENTRES OF EXCELLENCE C as the boardrooms. General, Dr Atthalia Molokomme, renowned lawyer and Gender Links Volunteer Rahim Khan, Bala repre- An initiative of Gender Links, (GL) funded sentative Rre Manthe and Rre Roy Sesana. OTSWANA OTSWANA by UKAID, the Botswana Media Gender COMPILED BY B Policy is a product of seven media houses. Welcoming guests, GL Botswana Country Manager, Keabonye Ntsabana commended the media houses The participating electronic and media for taking the first step to recognize the importance practitioners signed Memorandums of of mainstreaming Gender not only in content but Understanding with GL to become Centres also in institutional practice. of Excellence (COEs). The Gender Policy Project Consultant and Facilita- Participating media houses who crafted tor, Beata Kasale-Kabango clarified the fact that the and adopted the Policy were Duma FM, Policy was not only concerned about women, but YaRona FM, Gabz FM, Mmegi/Monitor, men as well. The Voice, Echo and Sunday Stand- ard/The Telegraph. However, she pointed out that women were missing in positions of leadership and that the Policy sought Among the 100 guests who turned up to to address this gap. support the occasion was the Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Margaret Na- GUESTS OF HONOUR (L-R): 3 Aisha Camara-Drammeh, Dr Atthalia Molokomme, Kelebogile Kgabi and Dr Margaret Nasha Kgabi stressed the importance of media in dis- Having the crowd tuned in with anecdotes seminating issues of gender as well as gender- and jokes, Dr Nasha said due to the with- based violence in a sensitive and constructive drawal of Donor Agencies, Botswana was manner. in intensive care due to her being labeled a middle income country. Camara-Drammeh highlighted that media per- formed a fundamental role in the construction of She commended Gender Links for their social reality. perseverance in running such projects as the formulation of the Gender Policy amidst the She said, “Through the media, society gainsBOTSWANA dwindled Donor funding. access to those events that are not part of their direct experiences. She encouraged the media to implement the MEDIAGender Policy as they had signed the state- The media has the privilege of constructing a real- ment of commitment to the project. ity to society through images and representationGENDER of different events.” She emphasized the need for media houses POLICYto follow to the letter the introduction of She stated that the media had been seen to play Gender Steering Committees tasked withINVITATION the role of a watchdog for the societies they serve the implementation of the Policy in the me- and holding governments accountable for achiev- dia houses, which forms part of the Gender ing their stated goals, emphasizing that this was a Policy document. prerequisite for development of our societies… “This document acknowledges that women In conclusion she appealed to the media to “con- are seriously under represented in the tinue raising awareness in gender related issues, media. Not only in Botswana but also in the BOTSWANA MEDIA GENDER POLICY especially gender based violence which continues whole SADC region. to take women’s lives in the so called “passion killings.’” “They are conspicuous by their absence Printed by Printing and Publishing Company of Botswana BOTSWANA MEDIA GENDER POLICY INVITATION 4 Printed by Printing and Publishing Company of Botswana GENDER LINKS BOTSWANA FACILITATOR: COUNTRY Beata Kasale- MANAGER: Kabango Keabonye Ntsabane ENTRES OF EXCELLENCE C and there is nothing positive about that. They are predominantly working part time and as freelanc- OTSWANA OTSWANA COMPILED BY B ers. And they are not represented in positions of leadership in the studios and newsrooms,” she lamented. Dr Nasha urged women to become more focused and vigilante in pursuit of top positions. She shared how during her days in the department o of Broadcasting, she assigned Esther Kanaimba- Senai, jokingly calling her with her maiden and marriage names including Ruhapo to cover the then President in Maun. “The road to Maun was not tarred and hen she started to make an excuse I vehemently asked her to go. Look at her now…” Kanaimba-Senai is the Group Public and Corpo- DIRECTOR OF rate Affairs for Debswana. SERVICES: Matshidiso She was concerned that the Departments of Morewane Broadcasting and Information were not part of the Centres of Excellence, citing that the Public Media fraternity was the biggest employer. Speech by Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs 5 Women and the Media is one of the Critical Areas of Concern in the Beijing Platform for Action. Therefore, States are urged to increase the participation and ac- cess of women to expression and decision-making in and through media and new technologies of commu- nication. It is encouraging to note that the Botswana Media Gender Policy is committing to guide the development of action plans in Media Sector in order to respond to the gender disparities that exist in their institutions and their work. These instruments are critical as they guide and inform all organizations and institutions on what could be done to address the gender gaps includ- ing through affirmative action. Furthermore, male involvement is identified as one of the strategies for the promotion of gender equity. Gender equality cannot be achieved without male involvement, that; Ministry of is commitment and direct contribution of males to the Labour and gender equality principle. The aforementioned instru- Home Affairs: ments have greatly contributed to progress in terms Kealeboga Kgabi of law reform through review of laws that affect the status of women and children and enactment of gender responsive ones. T IS A great honour for me to be interacting with you Members of the Press at this launch of the I wish to highlight that, the socio cultural factors that IBotswana Media Gender Policy. The comple- exist in our society influence and have differential mentarity demonstrated through this partnership impact on women, men, boys and girls social rela- needs to be nurtured and encouraged. BOTSWANAtions. This calls for fair and sensitive reporting that seeks to raise awareness in a constructive sensitive This day marks a great achievement in the history of gen- manner – always determined to identify gender der mainstreaming in Botswana as we are celebratingMEDIA disparities and their address through broad based indicative results on mainstreaming of a gender perspec- community participation. tive in the Media Sector. GENDERI am greatly impressed by your initiative and par- The Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs through the ticularly taking the lead in informing yourselves and Gender Affairs Department is mandated to coordinate developing your Sectoral Gender Policy. Needless to mainstreaming of gender in the development sectors.POLICY say, this will enable the media fraternity to adequate- The Media as a key implementing partner is critical and ly respond to gender and GBV issues and to INVITATION widely can be instrumental in making gender equality a reality disseminate information to members of the public in through disseminating information that would facilitate a more sensitive and empathetic manner. sectors to be responsive to the gender dimensions of their work. Allow me to recognize the Media’s dedication to the Botswana is signatory to International and Regional promotion of gender equality as signified by prompt Gender Frameworks calling for the promotion of gender action and coverage of gender and development equality and condemnation of gender based violence issues. Committing to this process is sufficient evi- especially violence against women and children. These dence of your unwavering determination to bridging include among others, the Beijing Declaration and the gender gap. Platform For Action (1995), Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women, the SADC Thank you. Declaration on Gender and Development (1997) and its Addendum on the Prevention and Eradication of Violence against Women and Children (1998), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (Ratified by Botswana in 1995); the Common Wealth Plan of Action as well as the Millennium Development Goals (2000). Printed by Printing and Publishing Company of Botswana BOTSWANA MEDIA GENDER POLICY INVITATION 6 Printed by Printing and Publishing Company of Botswana Statement by UNFPA Country Representative, Ms Aisha Camara- Drammeh FEEL greatly honoured to share a state- ment at this momentous ceremony in size certain news attributes and omit others, in which we launch the Gender Media some instances. As a result therefore, the media IPolicy produced by 6 media houses, namely: have the privilege of constructing a reality to soci- The Voice, Mmegi/The Monitor, Yarona FM, ety through images and representations of different Duma FM, The Echo, Gabz Fm and Sunday events. Standard/The Telegraph. We’ve also seen the media playing a role of a I would like to take this opportunity to com- watch-dog for the societies they serve and holding mend Gender Links for spearheading this governments accountable for achieving their stated noble initiative through providing the techni- goals. cal support and required guidance.