In Guatemala, journalism is a game of self-censorship: You say as much as you can about what is happening, and as little as you can about who is doing it.
By Anna-Claire Bevan
“Guatemala’s precarious positioning makes it one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a woman, and one of the most dangerous places in the Americas to be a journalist” (Graham Hunt)
It’s no secret that Guatemala is a dangerous country: Central America’s largest nation is teeming with gangs, violence and crime. Its precarious positioning, on the main corridor for US-bound drugs, makes it one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a woman and one of the most dangerous places in the Americas to be a journalist.
Efforts to improve security have only lead to greater militarisation, abuse within the police force and an erosion of the law. Many suggest that the war on drugs is becoming a war on women; rape, torture and killing are as common now amongst females as they were during the country’s 36-year civil war, which ended in 1996.
Journalism here is a game of self-censorship: you say as much as you can about what is happening, and as little as you can about who is doing it. Those who speak out against impunity do so with the knowledge that their words could cost them their life. So, consequently, the desire to report reality is offset by concerns for personal safety.
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Why women are underrepresented in the Afghan media
November 26, 2012 1 Comment
By Nazira Babori
The first female journalists trained in Afghanistan in more than a decade produce a documentary as part of a ground-breaking training program for Afghan women journalists supported by The Asia Foundation. The hour-long documentary captures the stories of women in Afghanistan, describing both their lives under the Taliban and their hopes for the future (PRNewsFoto/The Asia Foundation)
Progress in the media and freedom of expression are generally viewed as the biggest gains of the post-Taliban era in Afghanistan. Today there are more than 75 television stations, one hundred radio stations and hundreds of publications according to the Ministry of Information and Culture in Afghanistan – a far cry from just one radio station and two papers used solely for the purpose of spreading government propaganda under Taliban rule. Despite some pitfalls, the media community is vibrant and can bring those who commit ills in the government and society to account.
However, this achievement lacks the critical component of the equal representation of women in the field. Many Afghan women looked up to a new dawn when the Taliban regime collapsed. They stepped out of their homes in huge numbers to seek education, join the workforce, and raise their voices through the media. But it was later proved that media is not very rewarding to women.
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Filed under Comment, Guest Posts, INSI Blog Tagged with Afghan Journalists' Safety Committee, Afghanistan, Afghanistan's Independent Human Rights Commission, AJSC, Institute for War and Peace Reporting, IWPR, local journalists, Ministry of Information and Culture in Afghanistan, Nahid Nazari, Soraya Sobrang, Taliban, women journalists