Mauritian women make their voices heard

The Mauritian Media Watch Organisation is calling on women to make their voices heard by giving their contact information for a Directory of Sources for the media.
May 27: The Mauritian Media Watch Organisation is calling on women to make their voices heard by giving their contact information for a Directory of Sources for the media.

The directory is a follow up to the Southern African Gender and the Media Baseline Study which found that women constitute only 17 percent of news sources. This landmark study, a joint initiative in Mauritius of MISA, Gender Links and Media Watch found that the voices of women in certain occupational categories are absent in the media. Mauritian women are absent even in topics that concern them.

This user-friendly directory will give a high profile to women in all sectors of the Mauritian society. The Directory aims at giving media practitioners, researchers, NGOs at both national and international level a practical tool so that they can access to women in many sectors. It will also empower women irrespective of class, ethnicity, religion and age.

A questionnaire is being circulated to women in all sectors of the Mauritian society. The questionnaire will also be advertised in the press so that Mauritian women get the chance to make their voices heard by having their names in this Directory.

The Ministry of Women’s Right, Child Development and Family Welfare is giving full support to this project. The Directory of Sources will be officially launched at the Gender and Media Summit in Johannesburg in September 2004.

The project follows the Gender Sensitive Awards in advertising mounted by Media Watch in collaboration with the Ministry of Women’s Rights, Child Development and Family Welfare on 3rd May 2004 (World Press Freedom Day). The following day Media Watch Organisation made history the by launching the book “Ringing up the Changes: Gender in Southern African Politics” edited by GL director Colleen Lowe Morna in the Mauritian National Assembly. Both groundbreaking activities received wide media coverage.

For more information contact Loga Virahsawmy on gonaz@intnet.mu