The Ministry of Women’s Affairs, in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and UNESCO, organized an annual press forum on gender equality, highlighting the role of the press in promoting gender equality and preventing violence against women. In line with that, gender experts called on the media to adhere to professional codes when reporting on women and vulnerable people.
The forum on the morning of December 5, 2024, was organized with the aim of mobilizing key stakeholders to promote gender equality and address gender-based violence issues in the media.
Women’s Affairs Minister Ing Kantha Phavi noted that they have launched the “Women Rattanak 6” Strategic Plan 2024-2028, which focused on gender mainstreaming and six priority programs. They feature increasing women’s economic empowerment, promoting social morality, women’s and family values, promoting the well-being of women and girls, ensuring legal protection for women and girls, highlighting women in leadership and governance, and women and climate change.
To be gender transformative and to achieve the six strategies, providing information to journalists, media content producers, influencers and popular people on social media was a strategic approach to raise their awareness. This is so that they can become advocates to the cause of protecting the rights of women and girls, to change the views and mindsets of society and reduce discrimination against women and girls.
“The gender dividend benefits society and the national economy as a whole,” the minister said. “The forum aims to raise awareness about the role of the media in promoting gender equality and preventing violence against women and girls, as well as promoting professional and ethical reporting of violence against women and girls.”
Information Minister Neth Pheaktra said currently, the situation of “gender inequality” has improved in Cambodia, as seen in the education and employment sectors. There is a shift in the traditional mindset from “women turning on the stove to women becoming the backbone of the national economy”. This reflects the promotion of gender and women being encouraged to participate in social and economic activities, just like men.
He added that his ministry also plays an important role in eliminating gender equality and violence against women and girls by disseminating information and content related to women, especially by taking the perspectives of women and girls to the national and global level as an input for policymakers and relevant partners who are working to promote gender equality, and to formulate targeted policies.
“Through the media, the rights, voices, and needs of women and girls are raised,” Pheaktra said.
Sexual harassment, assault at work
Therefore, to ensure news coverage that promotes gender equality, his ministry is promoting the Code of Conduct for the Media Sector to ensure that journalists disseminate accurate information that does not tarnish society but is beneficial.
“In implementing this mechanism, the ministry has put in place the Journalism Professional Charter, which is a national standard for professional ethics for all stakeholders in the media sector to adhere to when expressing opinion to ensure press freedom and freedom of expression,” said Pheaktra.
Chunn Sotheary, a representative of ActionAid Cambodia, said there are still gaps in the implementation of the Code of Conduct, as some journalists do not observe them when reporting on women and girls’ issues. Sotheary cited examples of inappropriate headlines, making fun of violence against women and not concealing the identity of victims, especially women’s privacy, as well as violence and bloody images, which make readers feel uncomfortable.
“The journalists’ role is to try to eliminate these problems. So, please do not judge what you don’t know and burden women,” Sotheary said.
Journalists play a role in preventing violence by reporting on it for the competent authorities and to talk about the impact of violence, but do not burden women.
“Before reporting, please check the details, take gender issues seriously, and maintain the honor and dignity of female victims,” Sotheary advised journalists.
According to a study by the International Labor Organization (ILO) in 2020, sexual harassment in Cambodia remains a major problem, with an estimated 40-60% of women and 10% of men experiencing sexual harassment and assault at work.
Another research “Sexual Harassment at Work” by Banteay Srei in 2023 showed that out of 190 women, 190 men and 20 LGBTQI+, 22% of women, 34% of men, and 80% of LGBTQI+ had experienced harassment at work.
‘Break the silence, give a voice’
Sardar Umar Alam, UNESCO Representative in Cambodia, said there is “no excuse” to violence against women and the integrated solutions require joint efforts. When used unethically, with misinformation and disinformation, media can reinforce harmful stereotypes and increase gender-based violence, discrimination and inequality.
He also raised concern about the arrival of digital innovations such as generative AI tools which further perpetuates technology-facilitated gender-based violence, leading to 26% of young women and girls having experienced cyberstalking and online harassment as per UNESCO data.
Global data shows that around 736 million women – almost one in three of them – experience violence in their lifetime. In Cambodia, one UNESCO report on women’s presence in the news found that only 7% of the monitored news covered gender equality topics and 1% on gender-based violence, Sardar said.
“We all recognize the media’s transformative role in shaping public opinion and our understanding of social and gender norms. Expectation is that the media can and should promote gender equality by challenging stereotypes, promoting positive role models, and giving women and survivors a voice in public discourse,” he added.
Susanna Elmberger, Programme Officer for Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law, said the media forum comes at a critical time of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, when the world is raising awareness and galvanizing action to end violence against women and girls.
She said in Cambodia, one in five women reported having experienced emotional, physical or sexual violence by their current or most recent intimate partner in their lifetime, yet this issue remains largely under-reported due to harmful social and gender norms.
“Media influences our thoughts and behaviors, and shapes societal structures and norms. By raising awareness and advocating for change, the media can contribute to creating a safer and more equitable society,” Elmberger said.
She encouraged the media to produce accurate and sensitive reporting by avoiding stigmatizing language, promoting positive gender roles, raising awareness and promoting prevention by educating the public about the different forms of violence against women and girls.
“The media should help advocate for policy change by bridging between the policy makers and communities to highlight the needs, concerns and good practices on the ground for effective communication and policy-making.
“We believe that gender equality is only achieved when women and men, girls and boys, have equal rights, opportunities and power to shape their own lives and contribute to society and social justice. And a free, diverse, independent and pluralistic media has an inseparable role here. Together, with the media, let’s break the silence and give voice to survivors,” Elmberger remarked.
