Economic empowerment to save female journalists from sexual harassment - UMWA
Ugandan female journalists pose for a picture during a two-day training in Kampala on March 6, 2024. PHOTO/BUSEIN SAMILU
The Executive Director of Uganda Media Women’s Association (UMWA) Margret Ssentamu has justified the need of equipping female journalists with entrepreneurship and economic skills on the basis that this would help save them of sexual harassment for favours.
Speaking at an entrepreneurship training for female journalists organized by UMWA in collaboration with the Embassy of Iceland in Kampala on March 6, Ssentamu cautioned female journalists against putting their entire dependency on a single paycheck.
“The resources are available but one thing we should never forget is that no employer has the money to pay enough. We believe if female journalists are empowered to be economically stable, it will save us from being sexually harassed for favours,” she said.
“You need to diversify and do other Business," she said adding that “we’re not advising you to leave media because we need you to inform policy and amplify voices of other women.”
The two-day training is aimed at equipping female journalists with skills to develop business ideas, create a sustainable business plan, master the art of financial management and monetising techniques.
Journalist Irene Abalo Otto advised her colleagues to embrace technology so that they can multi-task not only to better lives but also to remain relevant across all desired fields.
“There are things within our houses we can use to improve earnings for example the luxuries like laundry machines, blenders; how best can we utilize them? Let’s invest in machines that make work easy so that we create time for making more money,” she said.
Journalists under normal circumstances progressively become reliant on the internet purposely for intensification of their newsroom work produce.
Now, NBS TV news anchor Hatmah Nalugwa Ssekaaya is encouraging her female counterparts to utilize internet to creatively earn money.
“We may be dedicated at work, but we have free time from work. Are you dedicating that to your personal growth and business; are you following worthy content? Let’s Use YouTube, Google, and social media to polish our creative skills and earn from it,” she advised.
Kezia Namutebi, a journalist with Radio Sapientia told female journalists to desist from settling for less but rather engage in all sorts of legal income generating opportunities.
“How many rich women are in the media, probably none, but we can get there because even the men aren't doing fine. We only have to get out of our comfort zone,” she told over 20 of her colleagues attending the training.
