Thematic Working Group on Equality and Parity Discusses Protection of Women Journalists
The Thematic Working Group on Equality and Parity held on Tuesday, April 6, 2021, a meeting on "protecting women journalists." The meeting was chaired by the Group Chairperson Fatima Zahra Nazih and attended by some members of the Moroccan Forum of Young Journalists and the Association Sim-Sim for Citizen Participation.
In their presentation of the note on "Civil Advocacy of Protecting Women Journalists in Morocco: Current Situation and Proposals for Legal Qualification," the members of the Moroccan Forum of Young Journalists affirmed that this initiative is part of implementing the project: "Accession of Women to Leadership Positions in the MENA Region: Jordan, Morocco, and Tunisia." The project aims mainly to advance women's skills and enable them to access leadership and governance positions, and consolidate the capabilities of women and men to contribute to the consideration of the gender aspect in elaborating policies.
The note is a collection of several recommendations elaborated through working groups and workshops. These, according to the Forum representatives, identified several imbalances and hurdles, including violence against women journalists, impunity, harassment in workplaces, and the wage gap.
The participants also presented several recommendations and measures that can empower and protect women journalists, such as adopting the non-applicability of statutory limitations for crimes, updating the legal framework to ensure filing defamation cases before civil courts instead of criminal courts, supporting the initiatives of media organizations and the organizations operating in the sector of information and communication to create early warning and response mechanisms like online platforms or contact points in emergency cases.
Besides, the civil society actors called for opening an honest and constructive public debate and moving on to the next step of adoption by the nation's representatives of the cause of women journalists by drafting a parliamentary bill to redress the said imbalances.
During the open debate, the Chairperson of the Thematic Working Group on Equality and Parity Fatima Zahra Nazih stressed the importance of the subject at hand, noting at first the imperative of consolidating the legal arsenal with a framework law on equality and parity, considering it the mechanism that would protect all women. Ms. Nazih also focused on some hurdles that might mark advocating this view of defending this key professional category of women, namely the limitations on the legislative initiatives of representatives compared to the Government initiatives. She also noted that a parliamentary bill would be a bridge towards opening a public debate that contributes to shedding light on several imbalances in the media and journalism scene in favor of women journalists.
The women representatives also highlighted the imperative of reinforcing media action to shed light on the numerous challenges that hinder empowering women and protecting them against all forms of discrimination, fighting women stereotypes, and encouraging institutions to adopt the gender approach.