Ms. Nadia Mohammed Hazaa

Yemeni Director and General Manager of Programs at Aden TV

Advisor of “Women in the Media” Issue

 

Women occupied their place in all media outlets, in their various forms, whether print, audio, or visual. Despite their modest presence in the beginning, due to the social circumstances, customs, and traditions that restricted their launch, they were patient and struggled; rather, they worked to overcome all obstacles, barriers, frustrations, and ridicule, in most cases, and did not give up. In addition, they sought to achieve their goals and everything they wanted, and they became a number that is difficult to ignore or skip over their active and influential presence in all media outlets. They reached the forefront of the scene, as a minister, deputy minister, undersecretary, and general manager, in a number of decision-making positions, which have a direct positive impact on all segments of society.

Many Yemeni women have reached a high level of efficiency and qualification; which gave them the opportunity to compete and advance with confident and influential steps in many stations with their colleagues, and in many influential media outlets.

The media sector, especially the official and private media, still has a limited role and a restricted and ineffective influence in Yemen; it is dominated by those who control it, subject to their policies, and possessed by a superior mentality that determines its orientations and policies in light of the desires of those in power to serve their interests and orientations, and far from the needs of society and the nation. The duty of the real media should be represented in the tasks of positive change and monitoring of various societal issues, as well as holding accountable any official who serves the community – if necessary – with all transparency, objectivity and evidence, and working to shed light on any imbalances in the creative implementation process of the country and government policy and monitor them with complete transparency that allows for following up on all plans and programs issued by them and the extent of their implementation on the ground, away from favoritism, corruption and the abhorrent bureaucracy that hinders all economic, social and educational projects and policies related to the interests of the people and society.

Therefore, we hope that Yemeni media will be liberated from the dominance of those who control it, and that they will relax their grip on it; to play its real role as a fourth authority responsible for monitoring, away from all the restrictions and obstacles that impede its real path in serving the community and defending its causes.

New Opportunities Expanding Women’s Horizons

The media will remain an oasis under whose shadows the pens eager for the possible truth will flock. The presence of women, with the tenderness of their words and the excitement of their drive for change and reserving their place in its world, will remain a goal that will not rest and its brilliance will not fade, relying – and strongly – on the legacy of the first generation of women who challenged reality and overcame the circumstances that restricted their ambitions in all the difficult stages, when the woman’s voice was a shame and her appearance was a flaw, and her activity was limited to specific tasks. Far from every goal and objective that she sought and worked to achieve in this society, and in line with the customs and traditions in which her voice was loud and influential on all segments of society, but the influence of those customs was stronger than women’s ability to resist them due to male domination, and society’s reliance on the truth of the proverb ” “With the range, the rope cuts the stone!”

Yemeni women set off towards new horizons, and drew the features of their path with absolute faith, unwavering determination, and a will that challenged all the difficult circumstances that almost limited their leaps, had it not been for their belief in the inevitability of victory, taking advantage of the objective circumstances and rapid global transformations represented in the development of information technology and the availability of means that helped them to convey their voice, highlight their image, and raise their issues on more than one level, relying on the educational opportunities that qualified them to expand their scientific and cultural horizons, and their direct contact with a new reality that began to take shape on more than one level.

Despite the opportunities granted to women in more than one Arab country, she has suffered a lot until she was able to reach her goal, and conquered the impossible to achieve her goals in having a prominent role in the media field, even if it was delayed for a while.

Obstacles Impeding Yemeni Women’s Progress

There are many difficulties and troubles that hinder the launch of Yemeni women in all areas that appeal to them, especially the media field, which comes to represent the most important point in their choices; As it affects and is affected by all the events and issues that are raging at all social, political and economic levels, due to the conflicts that have taken everyone to stations that are far from all the wishes drawn at the beginning of each journey, and its repercussions have imposed on all aspects of life, and have greatly reduced the achievement of all visions, but rather affected a direct impact on raising the status of women and their ambitions, and the multiplicity of their choices, and worked to raise awareness of the importance of their role, which began to take shape strongly on more than one level in society.

However, internal conflicts will remain a stumbling block to any better change for women; As we will continue to mark time as long as the options are open to all possibilities and facts, and the shared vision for the solution has not achieved any real consensus; Due to the diversity of interests and internal and external interventions, and everyone’s reliance on the hypothesis of time that takes us far from the collective goals of the homeland and all those who belong to it with their various political, economic, and even social orientations.

There are many models from developed and liberated countries from the constraints of the Ministry of Information that restrict media work in the country; As it worked to abolish the control of the ministry, and even abolished something called the “Ministry of Information” from the government’s dictionary, and some countries replaced it with an authority that supervises -only- the course of work of all media outlets operating in the country.

The real role of the media and its enlightening message and its pure mission is manifested in uncovering all the hotbeds of corruption in society; As she received, with absolute transparency, names that hide behind her official positions, and honestly exposed many of the problems that hinder the progress of development and progress, and worked on the desired advancement of all aspects of economic, social, educational and developmental life in various fields, and to get out of the clutches of routine and abhorrent bureaucracy.

The word will remain clumsy and the meaning of the free word will be lost as long as the state continues to impose its hegemony by launching its instruments and its regulatory bodies on the media with its various messages, print, audio and visual, especially in light of the openness of space and the diversity of knowledge sources and the dominance of social media, which has become an effective tool in conveying many of the facts that were hidden. , as well as the spread of satellite channels that covered the sky of our planet and became a carrier of news and pictures, and even analysis at the moment it happened before we read it or watch it in our official media outlets that are far from keeping pace with the event due to the control of those who control it, represented by its various tools.

Recommendations for Enhancing Yemeni Women’s Role in Media

Freedom of speech is necessary for building democratic and healthy societies, especially in areas that impact the community. Women in media play a crucial role in shedding light on various social issues that concern Yemeni women in general, such as education, health, political participation, violence against women, and more. Therefore, it is necessary for everyone, including media institutions, women’s organizations, the government, and civil society, to collaborate in ensuring women’s active participation in the media field, through the following:

First: All relevant parties should reconsider their control over what is presented in the media by allowing greater freedom of expression that primarily serves the community.

Second: Official media outlets should keep up with digital developments and provide compelling content that meets the audience’s needs. Social media platforms have become effective tools for disseminating information, but they should be used with ethical and legal responsibility.

Third: Recognizing the importance of women’s role in the media, efforts should be made to confront traditions and customs that hinder women’s participation in the media workforce and support and encourage them.

Fourth: Supporting media institutions that encourage women’s participation by providing training and employment opportunities in various media fields.

Fifth: Collaborative efforts to change the stereotypical image of women in the media by raising societal awareness of their positive role in the media. This will contribute to building a more just and equal society.

Sixth: Involving women in media in decision-making processes, which enhances the path toward democracy in the country and builds a more just and equal society, ensuring a better future for Yemen.

Seventh: All relevant parties must work together to empower Yemeni women in media to fulfill their roles fully, by appointing them to leadership positions in media institutions, providing training programs to acquire the necessary skills for these positions, and creating a safe and supportive work environment for women.