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Safety, Equality, and Respect-A call to action for women journalists in Bangladesh: Susan Vize

Published : Saturday, 8 February, 2025 at 12:00 AM  Count : 3815
Farhana Naznin
As the women journalist in Bangladesh consistently faces significant barriers in pursuing their profession, we explored the existing barriers and potential solutions for ensuring a safer environment for them during a conversation with the Head of Office and UNESCO Representative to Bangladesh Dr. Susan Vize.

According to the UNESCO Representative, the primary challenges faced by women journalists in Bangladesh fall into two categories: physical challenges and online harassment.

Firstly, many female journalists are not provided with the necessary safety measures while covering stories on the ground. Media houses often fail to provide transportation or adequate security support, leaving journalists in vulnerable state.

"We need to understand these challenges immediately so that appropriate changes can be provided," Susan Vize,Head of Office and UNESCO Representative to Bangladesh said during an exclusive conversation with the Daily Observer.

A proposed solution to this challenge would be to talk to the media houses to improve working conditions for the journalists and implement safety policies. Furthermore, women journalists should always be accompanied by male drivers when they go somewhere to report. These measures are for the protection of female journalists as well as to keep the integrity of how a media company treats its employees. While such preventive measures may require financial investment, they are essential for safeguarding journalists.

Secondly, there is a huge increase in online harassment in Bangladesh for women journalists. Divisions in the media sector of our country make it difficult to promote ideas of safety both online and offline. Media organizations must offer unwavering support to female journalists facing digital threats. To address this, UNESCO plans to initially collaborate with a single media house to develop and test effective safety policies. If successful, this model will be used as an example to expand the same policies across other media organizations in Bangladesh.

One of the most pressing issues is the lack of comprehensive data on harassment and its impact on female journalists. "We do not have enough data to measure the extent of harassment or how often it is reported to higher authorities," the UNESCO Representative noted.

"There is no data on the stress that these journalists face when harassed or how it affects their work. Only a joint UNESCO-IFJ report exists which revealed that 73% of female journalists had experienced online harassment."

However, there is no current data tracking whether these cases are increasing or decreasing. Without proper research, addressing these issues effectively remains a challenge.

UNESCO praises the idea of conducting a workshop or a collaboration with journalists from all over the world as a progressive step towards finding a solution. These workshops and seminars can be used to discuss problems, barriers, and individual experiences of women journalists. These initiatives will promote awareness and provide strategies for ensuring safety in the workplace.

For Bangladesh, establishing a foundational level of protection is crucial. With more women studying journalism but fewer pursuing careers in the field, addressing workplace discrimination and salary discrepancies is essential. Many young women are interested in journalism but the career path is pushing them out of the industry. Aspiring female journalists are shifting towards PR agencies, which offer better financial security. Hence there is a problematic decrease in women journalists.
The UNESCO Representative expressed concern over the stagnation of progress for female journalists in Bangladesh. In the two and a half years of she has lived in Bangladesh, she observed little improvement and the same barriers persevere, she said.

"Online harassment is getting worse, and women are losing visibility in the media industry. In English newspapers, fewer women report on primary news stories, while more women are assigned editorial and feature pieces. Newspapers should actively seek female experts for news segments on science, technology, and politics," the representative stated. "Bangladesh has remarkable women scientists-when will we see them in the news?"

The barriers in journalism are evident. Women journalists in Bangladesh have already established excellent support networks, but these efforts must be strengthened. By collectively drafting a statement demanding policy changes and presenting it to all media organizations, they can push for systemic reform. Involving NGOs and UN agencies to support these demands with research and data will further validate their cause.

In alignment with the Gender-Sensitive Indicators for Media (GSIM), developed by UNESCO and adopted by member states, several initiatives will be implemented in Bangladesh. This project aims to raise awareness, promote gender mainstreaming and transformation within the media sector, and identify key areas for improvement.

The UNESCO Representative emphasized that female journalists should not be limited to covering women's issues. "They must engage in reporting on politics, environmental issues, and diverse news stories," she urged.

Increasing the presence of female experts in news articles will help balance gender representation and empower women within the industry, she added.

A UNESCO study highlighted the significant underrepresentation of female experts in the media. To truly empower women, the media must change how female professionals are portrayed and included in news coverage.
Concluding the interview, the UNESCO Representative discussed ongoing projects aimed at strengthening press freedom and media literacy in Bangladesh.

UNESCO has been actively working on press freedom initiatives. Their communication and information sector collaborates with UN agencies to address women journalist safety. For the first time, UNESCO Dhaka Office celebrated the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists in Bangladesh, last November 2024 marking a shift toward improved freedom of expression after the change in government. Additionally, UNESCO has conducted consultations on the UN Plan of Action and investigative journalism training in Chattogram, with plans for expanding to other cities.

UNESCO is also focusing on media and information literacy (MIL). Not all online content is credible so they are working with universities to ensure that readers develop a critical eye to differentiate good news from fake information. University students are effective people as they can capture information easily. UNESCO created a coalition between universities such as East West University, North South University, ULAB, and Dhaka University so that there is a student network promoting media information literacy. Future plans include integrating media and information literacy into school curriculums.

While the challenges for female journalists in Bangladesh remain substantial, initiatives led by UNESCO and other organizations provide a roadmap for progress. By fostering collaboration, promoting safety policies, and receiving support from media companies, a more inclusive and secure future for women in journalism can be achieved.


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