Sola POPOOLA
The media has been charged to ensure that all elements and true identities of the marginalised groups are captured while reporting Intersectionality of Rights .
This was the focal point of the workshop organised by a non Governmental organisation ,The Vision Spring Initiative (VSI) fir media professionals in the SouthWest geopolitical zone. The workshop attracted participants from Print, Electionic media .
Tagged :INCLUSIVE AND SENSITIVE REPORTING – Use of Language for Marginalized Groups in Respect to their Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) ,the training refreshed the memories of the participants on the intersectionality of rights of women in their diversity.
In her presentation,Humanrights Lawyer ,Omolara Oriye urged that media as educationist to advocate more on gender equality and be a catalyst of change in the society.
She explained that in Nigeria, gender relations are characterized by unequal power relations which are dominated within a culture of shared beliefs, customs, values and behaviours and as such women and girls face violations and discrimination of their Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights within the culture.
She said ” It is important to not think of intersectionality as simply adding up multiple identities that have no influence on one another. Without taking intersectionality into account, progressive ideas.
Oriye underscored the importance of the media in reporting and documenting Sexual Reproductive Health and Right(SRHR).
According to her, intersectionality is understanding that there is more than one way to view the world hence, identity is an important part of intersectionality.
Oriye stated that a lot of young women who learnt about sex through violence, rape tend to be blamed by the society because women issues are generally regarded as less important.
“There is the importance of women to have bodily autonomy to make decisions over their body. We cannot discuss Sexual Reproductive Health and Right (SRHR), without understanding that there is an agency issue and that this agency issue must be looked at through an Intersectional lens.
“We understand the identity of these women and how these identities in terms of the absence of Sexual Reproductive Health and Right (SRHR) interact with the system of oppression to compound their experiences”.
She noted that in the advocacy for gender indiscrimination, no one should be left behind as the media must assume a more active role I’m the prevention of violence against women.
Oriye who noted that the larger percentage of teenage pregnancy is as a result of the elderly ones who raped the children, advocated that media personnel should not just move to end teenage pregnacy, but that the perpetuators of such evil act be brought to book.
Oriye urged media practitioners to help change the negative and retrogressive cultural norms in the society.
” My work with the media is to ensure that the media does what is required in terms of reporting, informing and educating the community and public about Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) as women focus on untersec to ensure that identity is taken into cognisance and also the representation of these identities in the media in terms of stopping the stereotype and the bias that can become a thing in the reporting of Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights of women”.