25 November 2020, Kathmandu. As the world commemorates the “International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women” and marks the beginning of “16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence”, the Asia-Pacific chapter of the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) reiterates its commitment and support for elimination all forms of violence against women.
According to the United Nations, “even before COVID-19 hit, violence against women and girls had reached pandemic proportions. Globally, 243 million women and girls were abused by an intimate partner in the past year. Meanwhile, less than 40 per cent of women who experience violence report it or seek help[1].”
Community radios play a significant role in providing possibilities for women to speak out. Critical interventions by community radios are further augmented through strategic alliances between radio stations and online platforms, including the social media. Despite the phenomenal growth in media proliferation, it is alarming that an extremely large number of women, especially in rural and remote areas or those living on the margins, have limited or no access to media. The Women’s International Network (AMARC-WIN) is committed to supporting women’s capacity to access community broadcasting through networking, capacity building and policy advocacy.
Speaking on the occasion, Nimmi Chauhan, Asia-Pacific representative of AMARC-WIN says “governments must realize that opening up airways and allocating frequencies is crucial for women’s access to community media, especially community radios. For inspiring effective participation of women in development initiatives and for the success of the sustainable development goals (SDGs), governments must establish enabling policies coupled with access to resources for women to effectively benefit through community broadcasting.”
On the occasion of ‘International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women’ and the ‘16 Day Activism against Gender-based-Violence,’ AMARC Asia-Pacific dedicates itself to providing greater visibility to women and girls from Indigenous and Dalit communities. It reiterates its pledge to work with member radio stations as well as women’s rights organizations (WROs) and civil society organizations (CSOs), to support and strengthen women from marginalized communities to access community broadcasting by making policy interventions, accessing resources, and promoting women’s leadership.
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For more information, please contact ro@amarc-ap.org