Girl child asks to be given a chance

This article may be used to:
1. Give an example of a gender aware media report.
2. Bring to the fore the fact that girl children are often disadvantaged compared to their male counterparts.
3. Show the paradigm shift in gender and economic reporting with media now taking a holistic approach to socioeconomic hardships facing women and girls.

 

This story airs the sentiments of a 16 year old sex worker in Dar es Salaam. Having a story told from the point of view of someone who is experiencing the situation gives the story more credibility. It is a positive development that this article does not judge Mwankulu but instead offers her the opportunity to make her call for government assistance. This article also brings forward the fact that most sex workers are forced by poverty to engage in commercial sex work, not because they enjoy what they do.

A project officer from an NGO dealing with women’s health is also quoted, saying children in poor rural communities do not have access to education.

 

The story uses other sources to authenticate Mwankulu’s claims, for example, Kiota Women Health Development. Rural girls often fall prey to unscrupulous adults when they get to town because of lack of education to enable them to get good jobs.

It is one of media’s roles to bring social ills to the fore and engage government to do something about it, in this case offer educational grants to disadvantaged children. While it is true that girl children face the brunt of poverty in rural areas, boys from poor communities also deserve assistance. This article completely ignores boys. This observation should not, however, divert attention from the fact that due to the superior status accorded to males by society, boys more often find ways of dealing with their poverty while girls do not have that many choices. This story highlights the fact that girls are forced into ‘female’ jobs due to lack of resources to send them to university. Kawala says girls are pushed into being tailors, decorators and cooks. The image used in the picture however, shows girls in the same roles that are viewed as feminine. This image does not help the story in emphasising that girls do not necessarily have to go into tailoring, decorating and cookery.

 

Discussion Questions
1. List the roles that women and men are commonly portrayed in media. What does this say about gender and economic reporting? What does this article say about sex work?
2. Is the sourcing in the story adequate?
3. What do you feel should have been included in the story?

 

1.      Sex work is a controversial issue in most societies, and the arguments are often divided along moral lines. On the one hand, some say sex work is an abomination and should be stopped by any means possible. This translates into policies and practices that criminalise sex workers. On the other hand, some say sex work is valid work, has been around forever and is impossible to get rid of. This translates into policies and practises that support sex workers in the work they do as well as in getting out of it. Hold a debate, with one side arguing that it’s better to support sex workers than to try and prevent them from working, and the other arguing for the continued criminalisation of sex work at the need to stop it from occurring.

2.    Interview members of your community on their views of sex work, sex workers, and what Mwakulu is trying to accomplish.

 

 
Related GL Commentaries
 Respecting sex work
Sex workers unprotected from violence