Women in Development and Peace – Afrah Borji
Women constitute a fundamental element in society; they are the mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters. They are the most affected segment of society, especially in light of ongoing conflicts and their repercussions, which create a fertile environment for the spread of violence in various forms. This has made various media outlets – visual, audio, and print – play an important role in shedding light on women’s issues. They do so by implementing media programs that provide support to abused women, presenting the problem, solutions, treatments, and writing success stories of women who have proven their existence despite the challenges. These stories illustrate how they did not surrender to the society that refuses to allow women to defend their violated rights.
The Role of TV in Women’s Issues
Mohammed Aydhah, a journalist on Al Arabiya and Al Hadath channels, says: “Local television, both public and private, plays a role in shedding light on women’s issues in various forms, and its role has been important and positive; as it is one of the most prominent and influential means on society and public opinion, especially regarding issues of violence against women.”
Aydhah continues: “Yemeni women are currently subjected to various types of violence as a result of the ongoing conflict, which has affected the way visual media outlets present women’s issues. Television is no longer free to present the full message regarding women’s issues due to religious beliefs, customs, traditions, and norms. These have become like strict laws that perpetrate the abuse of women and categorize them as shameful. It is considered shameful to openly discuss these issues in front of public opinion.”
Mohammed Aydhah added: “There is a narrow view of women by the family and society that restricts them socially, economically, and psychologically. This is reflected in the role of television; although there may be a role in this regard, it may be limited on the part of Arab and international television. They have allocated a modest space for some issues that are outside the scope of reality due to the open space, the spread of visual media, and their diversity.”
On the other hand, journalist Mahmoud Al-Atmi says: “In general, Yemeni women have been subjected to various forms of violence and deprivation since before the conflict and until now. The laws themselves in the country abuse women after giving them their required rights, and even if they give them, some articles in all the country’s agencies, the judiciary, society, and the tribe refuse to implement those laws and deprive them of their right.”
Mahmoud explains, saying: “The role of television is basically like any other media outlet. It was created to discuss and address societal issues and find solutions through specialists and stakeholders, but some Yemeni media outlets, especially television, are still absent from shedding light on the issues of abused women, and most of those outlets lack the presence of women, like all decision-making circles in the country.”
He also points out that Yemeni women are still absent from all state joints, whether political or judicial, and also on the country’s television, where women are supposed to be present, especially in leading those outlets, whether press or radio. Their absence made a difference and created a reason for the absence of women’s issues in these outlets.
It has been evident that the most affected group during the armed conflict are women. They have lost their husbands, sons, fathers, and brothers. They continue to suffer the consequences of the conflict and remain the major losers and prominent victims. Additionally, they face significant violence and injustice in terms of not having their voices heard or their issues addressed. Efforts are needed to address this phenomenon, which has strongly impacted Yemeni society.
The Role of the Press
Journalist Fathi bin Lazraq, editor-in-chief of Aden Alghad website, says: “With the increasing violence surrounding Yemeni citizens in general and women in particular during the past years of conflict, I believe that it is time, or perhaps we should enhance the role of journalism in defending the issues of abused women.”
He adds: “There are many surrounding circumstances in recent years that have made women more persecuted; due to the circumstances of the conflict, the absence of equality and government interest in women’s issues, as well as the weakness of legislation and the role of local authorities.”
It indicates that with the emergence of parallel political entities to the country in all Yemeni governorates under such circumstances, violence against women has escalated. Essentially, this violence existed in natural conditions before the conflict, which has made journalism the second or perhaps the primary means to highlight women’s issues and advocate for them in the absence of government-led initiatives.
Bin Lazraq added, saying: “Journalism can defend women’s issues to a great extent, by focusing on the persecution, deprivation and lack of equality that abused women are subjected to. Therefore, the role of journalism today may be the greatest and most needed than its role under the prevailing normal circumstances.”
It is worth mentioning that the field of journalism and media in all its forms and types, whether print, audio or visual, can advocate for women by shedding light on the issues of abused women, highlighting the extent of the harm that appears on them, and raising awareness about the importance of advocating for the issues of abused women in the media to pressure the concerned authorities in Yemen to address the phenomenon.
In order to stop the violations, Fathi bin Lazraq says: “It is necessary to pressure local and international organizations to provide solutions and treatments for female victims, through discussing them in the media and presenting them realistically to public opinion, and most importantly, working together to stop the violations and give them their rights. Therefore, the role of journalism lies in making such issues public opinion issues that end with a government move that ends the persecution.”
The Role of Radio
Broadcaster Malak Rashad explains that radio stations shed light on the various types of violence against women, and work to spread awareness and encourage society to take action to confront violations, by implementing awareness-raising programs and conducting interviews with experts and survivors that focus on the challenges and the need to support those affected.
In the same context, Ashraqat Ibrahim, radio program producer and presenter, and former program director of Radio “Lana,” adds: “There is still a wide gap in covering women’s issues that need more awareness and effort, it is important for radio to focus on rural women, most of whom suffer from a lack of knowledge of their most basic rights, and are subject to violence and deprivation, such as preventing them from inheriting as the simplest example.”
Ashraqat continues: “Radio is always present in local communities, and has the ability to influence and deliver the message more broadly and securely. It also focuses on building a culture of women’s rights before raising awareness among the components around them.”
The Role of Television and Radio in Promoting Gender
Mohammed Aydhah previously stated that the role of television is important and positive. It serves as a general medium for all segments of society to enlighten, educate, and raise awareness in society. Through purposeful programs, television promotes a culture of dealing with women in a way that preserves their status and rights. It also emphasizes the importance of their role in building society culturally and socially, away from fanaticism and extremism against them.
For her part, Ashraqat Ibrahim says: “Equality can start from within, and remain on the same level for everyone in terms of employing male and female workers, and distributing wages according to effort and experience, not according to gender.”
As for Mahmoud Al-Atmi, he stressed the necessity of working together to give women their basic and simple rights that are guaranteed by law and religion. He added that the injustice that occurs to women in Yemen makes them go backwards instead of progressing. The outside world, as it protects and supports women, is constantly progressing, but in Yemen, women are still subjected to various forms of violence. Society is unable to absorb the violations against women that are taking place. Therefore, we cannot talk about equality in work or otherwise, or about gender, while violence against them continues in a frightening manner.
Malak Rashad states: “Radio plays a vital role in promoting gender equality by broadcasting awareness programs that target understanding and appreciation of gender-related issues. These programs can include community discussions and participation regarding women’s and men’s rights, as well as the challenges they face in various domains. Additionally, they enhance the concept of gender partnership. All of these efforts contribute to raising societal awareness and fostering a more equitable and just environment.
Challenges & Difficulties
Journalist Mohammed Aydhah explains that there are challenges related to the general biases of media outlets, which often do not provide women with sufficient space. Fixed beliefs and ideas held by television administrations, along with religious and societal restrictions, further limit women’s opportunities to appear or participate comfortably on television. Unfortunately, this has led to a significant reduction in women’s roles in this domain, with a predominant focus on male perspectives.
Journalist Fathi bin Lazraq, for his part, mentions the most important challenges facing the press in covering the issues of abused women. He pointed out that the press has become preoccupied with feeding the street due to the circumstances of the conflict and what is happening around it, or by siding with one of the parties to the conflict, and thus women’s issues have become marginal from the press’s point of view, while they are essential.
Ashraqat expressed her opinion, saying: “Talking about advocating for women’s issues and supporting them has become widespread to a large extent, and it is possible to address issues specific to them in a comprehensive manner by resorting to research centers and institutions that work for them. However, journalists may find it difficult to conduct interviews with victims, especially those in sensitive positions.”
Treatments
“Every problem has a solution,” is how Mohammed Aydhah began his discussion about the approaches used by television to address the issue of violence against women. He pointed out that there are many approaches, such as providing sufficient opportunities for women to participate and work in television, breaking the rules that prevent women from playing their role in this field, increasing training and rehabilitation for women on how to highlight and present women’s issues in the media, allocating more spaces on television to discuss women’s issues, and how to protect them from abuse and violence.
Ashraqat Ibrahim also says: “It is important to maintain an ongoing partnership between media institutions and institutions that advocate for women’s issues in order to provide them with all the information, statistics, and cases they need to support their media messages to achieve the goal that both institutions are striving for.”
For his part, Mahmoud Al-Atmi added: “Television must advocate for and support women’s issues in general, and work to find solutions before presenting the issues. Television was primarily created to discuss and find solutions to societal issues, and to promote the implementation of solutions, which is one of the tasks and goals of television and various media outlets.”