Reporters Urged To Ensure More Gender Equality In Press

Laura Redpath , Senior Gleaner Writer

Media watchdogs are encouraging journalists to move beyond mere coverage and consider representation.

Women's Media Watch, the Press Association of Jamaica (PAJ) and the Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication (CARIMAC) yesterday hosted a meeting with journalists and communication students to present the findings of the Global Media Monitoring Project 2009-2010 regional report on how news is covered in the Caribbean.

Findings show that men were represented three times more than women in 65 newspapers and newscasts.

"Good journalism should really include fair gender portrayal," said Judith Wedderburn, board member of Women's Media Watch.

The results also showed that the major news topics were crime and violence, politics and government, social and legal issues and the economy.

The 11 countries studied were Belize, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Puerto Rico, St Lucia, St Vincent, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica.

Of the 1,678 people in the news, male government officials were the major newsmakers. Just over 80 per cent of voices were male spokespersons and nearly 70 per cent were male experts.

The majority of women in the news were politicians and then professionals in health and education, while female sources were more likely chosen by female reporters.

Other details that emerged include: of 840 articles and newscasts, nearly 70 per cent of television stories were presented by women.

However, nearly 90 per cent of radio stories were presented by men.

Shifting gender roles

Meanwhile, more than half the stories were covered by male reporters and, in terms of gender equality in the news, just over half the stories that were considered to be gender balanced were covered by women.

Less than 10 per cent of stories (written by men) challenged gender stereotypes.

Despite the figures, Jenni Campbell, president of the PAJ, noted that traditional gender roles have been and are still shifting in Jamaica and the rest of the world.

"We believe that any kind of investigation and exposure of information that will benefit our people and provide options to shape their decision-making process ought to be welcomed," Campbell said.

The PAJ president also noted that more women are entering the newsroom, a move to be celebrated.

In addition, the regional report pointed out that strategies must be developed based on the media monitoring project findings to assist with the democratising of media and gender equality.

laura.redpath@gleanerjm.com

Sex workers facing "hell' according to new book

THE hellish working conditions of Jamaican sex workers have been documented by Panos Caribbean in a 48-page book, aimed at highlighting the plight persons in this group face.
The publication provides first-hand account from 15 female sex workers and one male, examining reasons for becoming sex workers, conditions in the industry, health and safer sex issues, prevention of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV, legalisation of sex work and gender issues.

Patricia Watson (second right) of Eve for Life and brainchild of the publication highlighting the plight of sex workers in Jamaica, makes a point to (from left) Indi McLymont Lafayette, regional director of media and community & environment at Panos Caribbean, Princess Brown, president of the Sex Workers Association of Jamaica and Dawn Marie Roper, Panos programme officer, during yesterday’s launch at the Altamont Court Hotel in Kingston. (Photo: Lionel Rookwood)

Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Book-says-sex-workers-facing--hell-#ixzz16IIf0Rkg

President of the Sex Workers Association of Jamaica (SWAJ) Princess Brown, pointing to the issues faced in the industry, said sex workers are forced into the illegal trade there were no other job options.

“Seeing your children hungry with tears in their eyes looking to you is one of the hardest thing to see,” Brown said, as she addressed the book launch at the Altamont Court Hotel in Kingston, yesterday.
“Before you judge ask the question why they become a sex worker; no one wanted to become a sex worker when they were children,” she argued.

Brown said a number of sex workers, both males and females, were sexually abused by family members and still continue to be abused by clients, employees and even the police.
The association, she said, was formed two years ago to protect the rights of sex workers.
Sex work, though illegal in Jamaica, is widely practised in the island where unregulated commercial sex facilities have been blamed for helping to spread HIV in the general population.
A significantly higher rates of HIV infection exists among sex workers and their clients, compared to other population groups in many countries, according to the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS).

Meanwhile, executive director of the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities (CVC), Ian McKnight, in lauding the decision to highlight the plight of sex workers, said these persons are constantly exploited by the police because the trade is illegal.
“The police will draw down on them to get money and when that happens they have very little recourse,” he said.

Marion Scott, project officer for the sex workers’ programme in the Ministry of Health, said the testimonies outlined in the publication would guide the way interventions are conducted.
While acknowledging that the sex trade was illegal, Scott said the ministry addresses the vulnerability associated with sex work and not the profession itself.
“Yes sex work is illegal but they are considered vulnerable so vulnerability is what we speak to and not the profession,” she added.

She, however, pointed out that although there has been a decline in the spread of HIV among sex workers there is more work to be done.
She explained that while sex workers use condoms with 90 per cent of new clients, only 20 per cent use condom with regular partners.

According to Scott, the ministry is faced with the challenge of reaching some sex workers, many of whom are afraid to come forward for fear of being prosecuted.
“It is difficult to gain the trust of the sex worker because of the fear that we are going to expose them,” she said.

Dawn Marie Roper, programme officer at Panos Caribbean, explained that the sex workers interviewed for the publication consisted of persons working as massuese, exotic dancers, street sex workers and those who engage in live sex on stage and for film.
“What is unique about this is it’s coming straight from the mouth of the sex workers themselves,” she said.
In the meantime, Samuel Blake of the National Taskforce Against Trafficking in Persons said the information gleaned from the publication will be used in the unit’s planning process as it address the issue of human trafficking which has linkages at times with sex work.

International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

Recognized 25th November

By resolution 54/134 of 17 December 1999, the General Assembly designated 25 November as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and invited governments, international organizations and NGOs to organize activities designated to raise public awareness of the problem on that day. Women's activists have marked 25 November as a day against violence since 1981. This date came from the brutal assassination in 1960, of the three Mirabal sisters, political activists in the Dominican Republic, on orders of Dominican ruler Rafael Trujillo (1930-1961).
On 20 December 1993 the General Assembly adopted Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women (A/RES/48/104).

” Message from .....

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Message for the International Day for the
Elimination of VIolence against Women
25 November 2010

“My UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign, and the Network of Men Leaders I launched last year, have generated welcome momentum and engagement. The word is spreading: violence against women and girls has no place in any society, and impunity for perpetrators must no longer be tolerated. On this International Day, I urge all – Governments, civil society, the corporate sector, individuals – to take responsibility for eradicating violence against women and girls.

In light of the increased series of attacks against lesbian and bisexual women in the past coupled with increases in sexual abuse and rape against young girls and women in general plus the disturbing cases of missing children in Jamaica mostly girls, the ongoing and troubling path radio personality Ragashanti has taken towards lesbian life supposedly to be joke and entertainement for his listeners this day's recognition could not come at a more opportune time. The concerns especially among young women in Jamaica of all stripes and orientations are growing as crimes and violence against them seemingly go unabated.

TODAY AS WE COMMEMORATE INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE ELIMINATION OF VIOLENCE (IDEVAW) AGAINST WOMEN UNDER THE THEME “COMMIT, ACT, DEMAND: WOMEN AND MEN UNITE TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN. LET US FIRST REMEMBER THAT VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS REMAINS A MAJOR CHALLENGE AND IS RECOGNIZED LOCALLY, REGIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY AS A GRAVE SOCIAL AND HUMAN RIGHTS CONCERN. VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN NEEDS OUR URGENT ATTENTION AS IT AFFECTS ALL MEMBERS OF OUR SOCIETY, RICH AND POOR, WOMEN AND MEN, BOYS AND GIRLS. Click HERE to view full Message

WHY WOMEN ACROSS THE WORLD COMMEMORATE NOVEMBER 25th ASINTERNATIONAL DAY AGAINST VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
Between the years 1940 to 1961, the Dominican Republic was subjected to a political regime under the leadership of President Trujillo that was as cruel as it was corrupt. During this period, a group calling itself the 14th June Resistance movement was formed, which was led by the militant Mirabel sisters, Minerva, Patricia and Maria Teresa. This organization was accused of plotting to overthrow the Trujillo regime, and as a result, the husbands of the three women, as well as Patricia's son, were arrested.

The three sisters were eventually ambushed, tortured and raped. They were then placed in their jeep and pushed over a cliff in an unsuccessful attempt to make the murders appear accidental. This incident took place on November 25th, 1960. When women from Latin America and the Caribbean met in Bogota in 1981, they proposed that a day be set apart each year that would be recognized as an international protest against violence against women.

Minerva, Patricia and Maria Teresa Mirabel had never been forgotten; and so November 25th was chosen as the day when the world would be asked to remember them, and the countless other women and girls all over the world who have died as a result of violence.

Click HERE to view as a pdf

Peace and tolerance

H

Ragashanti contributing to growing public lesbophobia?

In recent months there has been a sharp rise in serious concerns by members of the lesbian and

bisexual women communities about the path being taken by radio personality Ragashanti and his tambourine crew on his new home at Nationwide Radio. This is coming on the back drop of several unconfirmed reports of several cases of rape and sexual abuse including corrective type incidences across the country with two suspected murders. Please bear in mind the incidents have not been confirmed to be outrightly lesbophobic but the word on the street just by observation suggests people are talking about lesbian lifestyles more disparagingly in a long time.

Usually in Jamaica lesbians never experienced such a backlash either on the airwaves or otherwise and as Ragashanti is widely listened to between 1pm - 5pm following the controversial cut from Newstalk 93 FM where he was unceremoniously booted. There was a problem with the content of the program he hosted there at the time but he has found a place at his original home at Nationwide.

Ratings at any cost?

He has had guests who are introduced a lesbians and gays with very sensationalized discourse over the airwaves and with the broadcasting commission monitoring he has been careful to reduce some of the original verbiage that obtained when he was at Newstalk FM. He also has a column that he writes mix up pieces and gossip columns in the Jamaica Star. A steady stream of lesbophobic and stereotypical pieces have been coming both on air and in print as shown below, he supposedly answers a write in query on lesbianism:

More Lesbian Mix Ups

Mad respek to all a mi Tambareen Fambily linky-linky an mi Mix Up an Blenda massive. Yow!... di Lesbian Mix Up topic a mad up di place. A crazy tings a bust out inna Jamaica ya. Fi real. Gwaan pree dem two vibz ya pon di topic:

Who is really a Lesbian?

Raga big up yuh self. Luv yuh show! I am a lesbian and have been so since high school, at least that's when I became conscious of it. A lot of people seem to believe that a woman becomes a lesbian because she was abused by men or had very bad relationships resulting in heartbreak, been raped, lacked love from her mother and the list goes on I am sure. I think a woman that started dealing with women becuz of some sort of abuse is not really a lesbian and I think they should try again with men, but do it differently, like spend more time knowing the man and actually DATE and so on. 

I have never been molested, raped, heart-broken, never lacked love from my mother. In fact she was an ardent follower of God. I never grew among lesbians, nor did I know any, or knowingly encountered any. No family member I knew of was so inclined so I was not socialised in it. I have never been sexually attracted to a man. I can appreciate a well dressed, handsome, well-spoken, intelligent,sexy bodyman but to think "oh God him sexy eeh me woulda dash it out pon him," no. I have tried dating men when I was much younger. I had a steady boyfriend, very, very nice guy, I had real, real feelings for him but when it came down to sex I just couldn't do it and out of respect for him and his feelings I had to tell him where I stood. He and I are still friends. So my point is that the equation: abuse+loveless childhood+heartbreak by men = lesbian, is wrong, probably not entirely but for the most part.

Thanks for educating us. You're right. Many of us assume that if a woman is a lesbian then she must have gone through some terrible ordeal that turned her away from men. In a mature, secure and articulate manner, you've made us know that such is not necessarily the case. Not all lesbians are psychologically and emotionally wounded. Bless up yuh self.



Lesbians in School

Mi se Raga mi hav a bag a mix up fi gi yu. Mi use 2 go 1 all girls skool. Raga a bear drama dem gi yu. One 8 grader use 2 deh wid 1 eleven grade girl. But d 11 grader a d butch. She did a gi d 8 grader bun wid a nex 11 grader Raga. Wen mi ask d butch who a wife, she se if a wife dem a run down dem beta gwaan cuz she deh wid a gyal weh work a bank. Anyway, d gyal dem find out bout dem one another n d gurl lef d 8 grader. D 8 grader nearly mad, she all write luv letta n bear tings. Raga any way dem did deh bak n ting. But d other 11 grader find out bout it n knock out d 8 grader wit a chair. And d same evenin a nex girl cum a skool gate fi d butch girl n beat up d 11 grader...lol...dwl.

Dr. Kingsley Stewart aka Ragashanti

Nuh feel nuh way still, but mi naa go run mi usual joke dem wen di mix up involve children a roll dem way ya. Fi years now me a get a whole heap a mix ups bout a whole heap a lesbian drama in many of our high schools. Mi cyaan too support dem violence deh mongst di school girl dem. Mi jus hope seh di authorities will stop walk roun like dem a eediat an nuh know wa a gwaan, an start come up with effective interventions aimed at decreasing violence amongst students grappling with sexuality issues. Bless up.

Reach Ragashanti at

mixupraga@gmail.com or

PO Box 5866, Liguanea PO, Kingston 6.

ENDS

Serious concerns:

Many lesbians have been expressing outrage at this new and steady stream of commentary on their lifestyles/orientation and by extension putting them at risk. The obsession with the butch dynamic is also not going down well for many in the community as they fear there maybe serious repercussions. Bearing in mind that Ragashanti whose real name is Dr. Kingsley Stewart is an Anthropologist and while there maybe some validity to his use of the colloquial and street culture to examine humanity he may be going overboard much to the detriment of the folks who he makes fun off. Not everyone knows how to separate the seriousness from satire.

Shebada - comical roots play character loved and hated by his effeminate dialogues and shenanigans on stage played by Keith Ramsey who has been stigmatized as gay.

Ragashanti also has been seen however at Shebada's parties on several occasions bearing in mind there is a strong suspicion by the public he is gay yet Raga finds it necessary to get ratings by playing on the stereotypes in Jamaican society. Nationwide radio like it or not is owned by Cliff Hughes an erudite reporter turned radio owner who has signed on Raga and is also known for his gay friendly stance on LGBT rights yet we have Ragashanti out of control on the airwaves?

Some more outspoken lesbians have suggested bombarding the lines with calls condemning the way Raga has been going on and present a more positive light on lesbian and bisexual life.

Ironically there are many MSM and some members of the GLBTQI community finds the sensationalism funny and there have been vigorous debates on social network pages about ignoring the problem and some defending Raga to the ground.

Good to see ordinary folks getting in on a strategy to deal with this new problem but will it get off the ground? as many moves as discussed before just lie there after much planning and hot air.

Women for Women has issued a soft caution to ladies to be careful out there in light of the news of incidents happening and unverified cases.

How do we measure this? let's see what's to come.

Is the answer to Raga's contribution to lesbophobia a yes or no?

What say you?

Peace and tolerance.

H

Women, Girls And HIV/AIDS: A Time For Action

Glenda Simms, Contributor

Informed by the research data that have emanated from the many studies, commissions and high-level debates, the United Nations has made a concerted effort to refocus on the outstanding issues of women and girls' unequal status. This inequality has historically and contemporarily been reinforced by the strength of the patriarchal dispensation that has determined the rigidity of the gendered dynamics of all the societies in the global village.

In order to address these issues, the United Nations has decided to make every effort to address continuing injustices that characterise the lives of women and girls by using the responses to the AIDS pandemic "to improve the existing situation of the world's women and girls".

To this end, the UN, through its specialised agencies (in particular to UNAIDS and UNIFEM), has put in place an "agenda for accelerated country action for women, girls, gender equality and HIV".

This agenda was formulated in 2009 when UNAIDS convened meetings of representatives of women groups including positive women's networks, men who are committed to gender equality, government policymakers, academic institutions, and the specialised UN agencies.

Much urgency

This broad-based representation of experts deliberated under the leadership of the executive director of UNAIDS.

It is with much urgency that the UN has rolled out the 2010 agenda for accelerated country action in every region of the world.

The numerous sources of information garnered from state parties' periodic reports to the committee responsible for monitoring the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the committee which monitors the Convention of the Rights of the Child, the shadow reports of non-governmental organisations and the rich body of academic research on the HIV/AIDS pandemic, all come together to reinforce the UN assessment of the status of women and girls worldwide.

This most recent agenda for accelerated country action on HIV/AIDS is based on the fact that "in most societies, women and girls face power imbalances, unequal opportunities, discrimination and violation of their human rights, including widespread violence inside and outside of the home".

It has been an established fact that these factors are directly related to the vulnerability of women and girls to the HIV infection.

In formulating the planned actions at the country level, the UN has conceptualised a holistic process which will include government, civil society, and development partners.

All of these stakeholders are being encouraged to "make national AIDS policies and programmes more responsive to the specific needs of women and girls".

The accelerated country action, which will become the launching pad for future interventions, is informed by the realisation that "nearly 30 years into the HIV pandemic, HIV programmes and policies do not sufficiently address the specific realities and needs of women and girls". In the new dispensation, those who make the decisions on programmes for intervention and prevention in the fight against HIV are directed to recognise women's inherent human rights to sexual and reproductive health care, freedom from grinding poverty, self-respect, personal dignity and body integrity, peace, justice, and access to adequate resources and freedom from all forms of violence in both the public and private spheres.

The review of the data available on the situation of Jamaican women and girls in the HIV/AIDS pandemic points to the fact that in our society, young women in the 10-to-19 age group are three times more likely to be infected than boys in this age band. This state of affairs was highlighted in the UNICEF 2006 Discussion on Excluded Children in Jamaica. This is also a focus of the generic training syllabus of the National HIV/STI2010 programme.

Troubling reality

This database, which informs the policymakers in the health, educational, and social sectors, highlights the troubling reality that very young girls become victims of HIV because they are having sexual relationships with older men. These are extremely dangerous liaisons. And the conditions that foster these must be tackled head-on if the society is to maximise the potential of the young women who need to keep healthy if they are to become agents of change in our search for prosperity and the better life.

It has been pointed out in the UNAIDS and WHO December 2004 AIDS epidemic update on HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa and in the Caribbean region that inter-generational heterosexual sexual activities are one of the main drivers of the HIV infection in very young girls.

It has also been determined by many of the relevant agencies in the countries investigated that sexual liaisons are not necessarily consensual. Oftentimes they are the result of forced sexual activity and sexual abuse such as rape, incest, and carnal abuse.

Within this context, the agenda for accelerated country action should serve as an efficient and effective approach to deal with the continued search for answers regarding the unequal gender relations in Jamaica.

Deliberate directive

The deliberate directive to encourage the United Nations joint team on AIDS to focus on the role of civil society as a powerful change agent to move women and girls from their current disadvantaged position in the HIV/AIDS pandemic is a sound approach.

It has been long recognised that it is at the level of the community that women and girls confront their greatest challenges.

They are the nurturers, caregivers, sisters, daughters, mothers, sweethearts, wives, and grandmothers who care for the orphaned children, the sick widows, the sexually abused children, and the pregnant teenagers.

Against this background, it is reasonable to expect a vibrant, well-articulated programme of action that will put the focus on the precarious position of women and girls as they face the growing overrepresentation of very young girls as victims of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the Jamaican society.

There is now a real opportunity for all those who purport to be committed to women's human rights to join forces with the UN country team to seize the opportunity to move from word to action.

Dr Glenda Simms is a consultant on gender issues. Feedback may be sent to columns@gleanerjm.com.