SARAJEVO, 25.01.2018. – A Roster of media professionals devoted to raising public awareness of gender-based violence, through the application of professional standards in reporting on this social problem, was formed today in Sarajevo.
The Roster gathered 30 journalists of public and private media from Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Doboj Jug, Milic, Doboj, Brcko, Zenica, Sokolac, Pala, Sanski Most, Bugojno, Mostar, Bihac, Bijeljina and Livno and to sign a joint Declaration on objective, ethical and professional reporting on gender-based violence
Rosters is formed ad a result of activities and campaigns supported by UN Women’s Office in BiH. “We are trying to help the authorities in BiH to fulfill their international obligations deriving from the Istanbul Convention and other international acts. These are the standards according to which the authorities have an obligation to constantly repress all forms of violence,” said the UN Women Officer in BiH, David Saunders, adding that Roster represents a great opportunity to publicly contribute to the very process of violence prevention.
Fatima Bećirović from the Gender Center of FBiH presented some of the experiences and observations regarding gender-based violence from the perspective of the institution she represents. “A system of support for survivors is not uniform throughout BiH. Every victim of violence should have equal access to protection throughout the country, and every perpetrator of violence must be adequately sanctioned, “said Bećirović.
The participants in today’s discussion highlighted the need to update this social problem in local communities through reporting of local media, as well as addressing the problem from different perspectives. It is also said that there is an important continuity in media reporting on cases of violence and how these stories should be monitored from start to finish and avoid daily-sensationalist reporting.
The meeting was held within the framework of the project “Disarming violence – Media against violence against women” implemented by the BH Journalists Association with the support of UN Women’s Office in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Swedish International Development and Cooperation Agency (SIDA).
