The Gender Educators Initiative (GEI) has trained 30 female journalists in Sokoto on ethical and gender-sensitive reporting of Gender-Based Violence (GBV).
The training aimed to enhance accurate and compassionate reportage on issues affecting women and girls.
GEI Chairperson Hajia Sha’afatu Suleiman said the training was designed to strengthen the capacity of female journalists to report GBV cases with professionalism and empathy.
She expressed concern over the low reporting of GBV in the state, despite the increasing number of cases, and noted that survivors often hesitate to speak up due to fear of being misrepresented.
The Director-General of NGO and Human Rights Affairs, representing the Special Adviser to the Governor on Human Rights, commended GEI for the initiative, emphasising that ethical reporting is the foundation of credible journalism.
The General Manager of Al-Ummah TV, Alhaji Bashar Abubakar, noted that Sokoto boasts a rising number of competent female journalists and urged participants to take the training seriously.
Other speakers at the event included the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Online Media, Mallam Sani Umar, who encouraged participants to view journalism as a service to humanity rather than a money-making venture.
The Zonal Vice Chairperson of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Hajia Rabi Gwadabawa, who hailed GEI for empowering women in the profession, and gender advocate Hajia Aisha Dogondaji, who challenged journalists to use sensitive language and follow up on GBV cases to ensure justice is served.
The Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Comrade Usman Muhammad Binji, called on media organisations to establish GBV Reporting Desks in their newsrooms, emphasising that the growing rate of gender-based violence in society is worsened by silence.
The workshop was organised by GEI to bring together women journalists from various media organisations in Sokoto for intensive training on ethical reporting, gender sensitivity, and the role of the media in combating GBV.
