Media urged to promote representation of women in cooperative movement
Media Council of Kenya (MCK) has urged the media to promote the representation of women in the cooperative movement in the country.
According to MCK Director, Media Training and Development Victor Bwire, the media should address the underrepresentation of women in the cooperative movement in the country which remains male-dominated yet women are leaders in informal collectives.
“Journalists should use their position to elevate women to ascend to elective roles and decision-making in the Co-operatives movement in Kenya,” he said.
The council has deliberately included the gender category in its Annual Journalism Excellence Awards to recognise journalists reporting on empowerment of women and men in society and influencing policy around the same.
“ The MCK has been steadfast in implementing initiatives aimed at highlighting issues around women by partnering with like-minded organisations,” stated Bwire.
He also noted that the Council is developing a gender training curriculum to assist in efforts towards promoting quality and impactful reporting on gender issues.
MCK Assistant Director Media Training and Development, Christine Nguku, said the media needs to be cognisant of the fact that religious socialisation in the upbringing has impacted the gender related -role attitudes and behaviours in our society.
The Council has partnered with USAID’s CLEAR programme to train Kenyan journalists on Gender-sensitive Reporting and Cooperative Businesses.
On reporting human trafficking, Paul Adhoch Executive Director at Trace Kenya, said the media needs to protect the victims and their story sources so as to open space for enhanced reporting on human trafficking.
“Human trafficking is thriving as desperation levels go up. While there has been commendable reporting on human trafficking, our journalists should pay more attention to accuracy,” he said.
Bwire added that journalists must look for facts and ensure timely reporting as human trafficking evolves by the day.
“We are asking the media to objectively highlight human trafficking due to its huge impact on society; we are the voice of the voiceless in the fight against this vice,” he added.
