Female Journalists have urged media owners and managers to take primary responsibility for the safety of reporters in their employment particularly the females when they face threats and other attacks in the course of their work. These threats they said include online abuse, sexist attacks and physical violence.

This is contained in a communique issued at the end of a two-day workshop on the safety of female journalists in Abuja organised by the Media Rights Agenda. The communiqué was issued by MRA’s executive director, Edetaen Ojo on Friday.

MRA with support from International Freedom of Expression Exchange and Safety and Justice Grant held a workshop for 23 female journalists in Abuja from August 12 to 13.

Mr Ojo said the workshop was organised against the backdrop of an increasingly hostile environment for journalists, particularly female journalists who face unique, gender-specific threats and attacks.

The workshop`s sessions covered gendered and non-gendered attacks on female journalists, protection against physical and online threats, legal frameworks that protect female journalists and creating safer newsrooms for women in the media among other topics.

According to the communique, female journalists should be encouraged and trained to conduct regular threat assessments and environmental scans of locations where they intend to report from.

It stated that the training should include mentorship, knowledge exchange, and other peer learning methods aimed at guiding female journalists in developing clear strategies for responding to safety challenges in case of emergencies or escalating threats.

It said female journalists across the country should build a national protective network, cutting across media organisations and existing divides, through which they can demonstrate or strengthen solidarity and peer support.

“Female Journalists should undertake joint advocacy for the implementation of the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists in Nigeria and push for the adoption of any other national safety framework that may be necessary.

“Such a protective network may be anchored on the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ). Media organisations should fulfil their obligations to support the safety and well-being of female journalists by providing necessary resources.

“This is including appropriate transportation, safe accommodation, and financial support, especially when assignments require them to work late or cover high-risk events,“ it stated.

According to the communique, participants reaffirmed their commitment to advancing their safety and protecting their rights as female journalists.

They called on the government, media organisations and associations, regulatory bodies, CSOs and international development partners among others to recognise that the safety of female journalists was central to media freedom, democracy, and national development.

(NAN)