By Nelly Moraa
Entebe ,Uganda — The International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT) Kenya Chapter has taken a bold step in advancing journalist safety in Africa with the launch of the Observatory for Monitoring and Reporting on Safety of Journalists in Africa. The digital platform, developed under IAWRT’s leadership with support from UNESCO’s International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC), places a special focus on gendered threats against women journalists.
The launch, held in Entebe, Uganda, brought together media professionals, Pan African lawyers Union PALU , law enforcement officers, from across the continent, to address the growing threats facing women journalists both online and offline.
Uganda Commends Initiative and Reaffirms Policy Support
Representing the host government, Angela Nakafeero, Commissioner for Gender and Women Affairs at Uganda’s Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, hailed IAWRT Kenya and its partners for their leadership in creating a proactive mechanism to track, prevent, and respond to attacks against journalists.
“About 80 percent of women journalists worldwide experience online abuse, with higher instances in the Global South, especially in Uganda. This calls us to take action—to protect women in journalism and amplify their voices to combat violence against women and girls,” Nakafeero said.
Group photo:
Marking IDEI 2025 in Entebe, graced by Angela Nakafeero, Commissioner for Gender and Women Affairs at Uganda’s Ministry of Gender, Misako ITO and Lea Simonini from UNESCO, IAWRT members, Law enforcement and Pan African Lawyers Union members from across Africa
She noted Uganda’s commitment to media freedom through laws such as the Data Protection and Privacy Act (2019) and the Interception of Communications Act (2010), and encouraged journalists to make use of tools like SAUTI, a toll-free reporting platform for violence and abuse.
“Women journalists must continue to use online spaces to advance their work while safeguarding themselves from cyberstalking, shaming, and other digital risks,” she added
UNESCO Reaffirms Partnership and New Funding Opportunities
Speaking at the event’s closing session, UNESCO’s Advisor for Communication and Information in Africa Misako Ito lauded IAWRT Kenya’s leadership in the initiative and underscored the organization’s commitment to building safer media environments through global collaboration.
“Among all our priorities, the safety of journalists—and especially women journalists—remains one of the key pillars of the IPDC programme,” Ito said.
She announced a forthcoming call for grassroots media project proposals, offering grants of about $30,000 under UNESCO’s IPDC framework.
The Observatory’s second phase, she explained, now focuses on engaging police and judiciary actors to improve protection and response mechanisms when violations occur.
“We finalized standard operating procedures that guide cooperation between journalists, police, and legal actors when cases are reported,”
UNESCO has so far trained 12,000 security officers and 36,000 judiciary actors across 150 countries on freedom of expression and journalist safety.
Collaboration for a Safer Media Ecosystem
The Observatory, designed under IAWRT Kenya’s coordination, will serve as a regional platform to document, monitor, and strengthen responses to violations against journalists, with a specific gender-sensitive lens. It aims to enhance accountability, promote legal awareness, and build stronger links between media practitioners and justice institutions.
The Entebe event marked a major milestone in continental collaboration, uniting efforts between IAWRT Kenya, UNESCO, and the Government of Uganda to ensure women journalists can work free from fear, intimidation, and violence.
“The Ministry of Gender appreciates the work of journalists in informing, educating, and entertaining the public,” Nakafeero said. “We celebrate women in the media for their resilience and contribution to national and continental development.”
Uganda became a model country in establishing a media desk at its Criminal Investigation Department headquarters at Kibuli, Kampala. The legal officer Assistant Superintendent of Police Allan Nkaragwa urged journalists in Uganda to sensitize others about the desk to enable them to seek protection when facing violations.
Photo: Session capture during the IDEI 2025 convening led by IAWRT Kenya Chairperson Josephine Karani
IAWRT’s Kenya Chapter Chairperson, Josephine Karani called on journalists across the continent to take advantage of the platform to report and map any forms of violations. She said the map is critical in hastening response to violations and in addressing the rising trend of violence against female journalists. She said IAWRT will lobby for the establishment of a media desk across the continent modelled along the Uganda one.
The observatory map (https://report.iawrt.or.ke) launch coincided with the global commemoration of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists (IDEI). This was held under the theme CHAT GBV: Raising Awareness on AI-facilitated Gender Based Violence Against Women Journalists. The observatory map is designed to enhance protection for women by ensuring action is taken on all cases mapped by relevant organs.
