Over the past several years, journalistic integrity and safety have been under attack due to the rapidly rising number of deaths, threats, and assaults to reporters across the globe. This two-day event was launched as a global call to action on behalf of the many journalists risking their lives to report on the different humanitarian conflicts happening concurrently around the world.
The crises in Ukraine, Palestine, Haiti, the Congo, Yemen, Afghanistan, and other parts of the world, beg the need for an immediate and continuous flow of humanitarian information. In these emergencies, reliable information from unbiased media hubs that can be accessed freely is desperately needed.
The launch of the Global Repository of National and Regional Safety Mechanisms for Journalists which contain 57 nations and 14 action plans worldwide seeks to address these issues in a more in-depth and direct manner. One sure way by involving different stakeholders in the quest to end impunity by perpetrators of the heinous attacks.
Donna Lynn Caparas from the National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM) in the Philippines, revealed how numerous journalists were killed for reporting on the illegal logging involving a Mayor because the police did not adequately protect them.
There is also a need for more Pan-African collaboration within the continent regarding monitoring and reporting on the safety of journalists.
There have been some successful practices in crisis zones for example in Somalia as explained by Ms. Leyla Mohammed, Editor, Radio Ergo concerning providing security for the female reporters.
However, the opposite is happening in the Sahel region with journalists being detained and disappearing at an alarming rate.
To address the gendered aspect of safety regarding women in these high-risk zones, The International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT) working with other stakeholders in the region, has developed an online mapping system that ensures effective monitoring and reporting of attacks against journalists with a bias towards women journalists.
This is because women journalists face higher risks of abductions and assaults including rape. Immediate reports on attacks against journalists are meant to ensure a spontaneous response, especially for journalists who require protection and other support instantly.
The online mapping system, already in effect in 16 African countries and seeking to upgrade to include all African nations, has been supported by the IPDC program under UNESCO.
A key highlight of the day was the virtual Scroll of the names of 1653 journalists killed in their line of duty, in the past 30 years.
Let us track , monitor and report attacks against journalists here: https://report.iawrt.or.ke/views/map
By, Lily Mwaniga – IAWRT Member, Kenya.