A WACC partner in Zimbabwe is promoting media freedom and gender equality in and through the media by addressing barriers to digital inclusion faced by women journalists in Southern Africa.

The project, run by Gender and Media Connect (GMC) in Zimbabwe, is linking women journalists throughout the African sub-region through peer networking, advocacy, and a transnational platform for coalition building.

By creating a safe space for women journalists to discuss their inclusion in digital spaces, the project has been gathering firsthand, credible information on the challenges faced by women in media and the best practices they have experienced in law and policy, says Patience Zirima, national director of GMC, whose mission is to empower women in various sectors of society to engage with the media.

The information on challenges and best practices will shape policy recommendations to advance media freedom and digital gender inclusion.

Need to address tech-facilitated gender-based violence

Zirima explains that women in media in Southern Africa face significant exclusion as content creators and producers – an exclusion exacerbated by gender-based violence, gender-blind digital policy frameworks, and systematic exclusion on digital platforms. Half of the women journalists surveyed by GMC in a 2023 study indicated that they faced online violence.

“Barriers have reduced the presence of female journalists in online spaces which negatively impacts their rights to expression and the right to work within the digital space,” she says.

Development of a policy brief on media freedom and gender inclusion in the digital information environment is underway thanks to the project. The brief “will seek to inform coordinated advocacy actions for development and reform of national and global digital policy standards.”

Zirima says the ultimate outcome of the project, which by completion aims to serve at least 50 women journalists from nine countries in Southern Africa, is “increased participation of female journalists in the digital policy making process at a national and regional level.”

Links between media freedom, gender, digital

Through the project, Gender and Media Connect organized an online meeting to introduce a peer networking platform and get a sense of the critical issues faced by women journalists in the digital era in Southern Africa. Thirty-three journalists from seven countries participated.

Along with delving into topics such as the importance of coalition-building, meaningful digital inclusion for women journalists, and privacy and surveillance, the group outlined areas for action. They committed to strengthening support and networking channels for women journalists and moving forward with developing policy recommendations.

In follow-up to the online meeting, journalists from nine Southern African countries have joined a WhatsApp group to share information and knowledge, and the Southern African Women Journalists Network has been formed, with plans for an online portal.

Promoting women’s voices in the digital space

Zirima stresses that challenges faced by women journalists must be addressed to ensure gender equality and the full participation of women in the digital media landscape in Southern Africa.

“Given that women in media are crucial to the information ecosystem, as they enhance access to information and promote women’s voices and agency, and digital advancements are imperative to women’s empowerment, it is urgent to protect and promote their inclusion in the digital space.”

The gender and media expert says that, ultimately, GMC envisions the project helping to build an inclusive, equitable, safe, and secure digital world that promotes communication rights and includes perspectives from Southern Africa and other areas of the global South.

Participants at a workshop for the Southern African Women Journalists Network on strengthening protection measures for women journalists, held by GMC in May in South Africa. Photo: GMC.