March 4, 2016 By Hawa Amara &Victoria Saffa
Chairman, Independent Media Commission (IMC), Amb. Alieu Kanu, has commended the Managing Editor of the newly launched Women’s Vice newspaper for what he referred to as a laudable venture to create a platform for women’s voice to be heard.
While officially launching the newspaper at the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists headquarters on Campbell Street yesterday, Amb. Kanu noted that there are only two female editors in the country and that the launch of the newspaper was very significant.
He said the objective of the newspaper encapsulate three main functions – to investigate women issues, educate people who have little respect for women and to know that Roman law, which regarded women as properties of men, was no longer in place.
He urged the newspaper to be fearless in investigating and reporting women issues in the society.
He assured the managing editor of the newspaper that the IMC would come to her aid and do everything possible to ensure that the newspaper did not fail, adding that the commission’s door would always be opened to them.
Proprietor and Managing Editor of Women’s Voice newspaper, Femi Caulker, said the paper would focus predominantly on women’s issues, adding that the aim was to help reshape the landscape of newspaper journalism in the country.
“Our society is crafted in a way that most decisions taken in the home put us women in a very disadvantage position, even when it comes to matters directly affecting them. Most of the decisions taken by our husbands are not always in our favour but we still accept. With the coming of the Women’s Voice newspaper, issues affecting women’s growth, welfare, development, gender equality and opportunity will be duly covered and published to gain public attention and support,” she promised.
She maintained that the newspaper would increase access to information and opportunities for young ladies and girls in the country through media.
She also promised that they would introduce women vendors, who will join their male counterparts in the distribution and sale of the newspaper, both in the Western Area and the provinces.
Representative from Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children affairs, Charles Vandy, said his ministry would always support the newspaper.
He said women have been marginalised and harassed in several ways and that the ministry would also help propagate the development of women in the country.
President of Women in the Media Sierra Leone, Tiana Alpha, remarked that the media landscape in the country was largely male dominating.
She said women have clearly demonstrated that what men can do they can do better, adding that the media should continue to report issues affecting women in the country.
President of SLAJ, Kelvin Lewis, said media owners, irrespective of who they are, must be professional. He said to the proprietor of Women’s Voice: “You have set a pace which other women need to follow. We have had women who have done so much in the media, women like Daisy Bona, who was a proprietor and managing editor. You are coming to add to the few women in the field and need to practice using the good examples.”