By Kelechi Ogunleye
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) says it is taking active steps to prioritise the protection of female journalists in Nigeria.
The NSCDC FCT Commandant, Olusola Odumosu said this during a workshop on, “Monitoring and Reporting on the Safety of Journalists in Africa with a Focus on Gender” on Wednesday in Entebbe, Uganda.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) while following the event online reports that the commandant presented a paper titled, “From Report to Response: How Cases of Attacks Against Female Journalists Are Handled”.
Odumosu said that the efforts to prioritise the safety of media practitioners was in response to Gender Based Violence (GBV) reports which had indicated that female journalists were prone to attacks more than their male counterparts.
He said that the vulnerabilities of journalists in Nigeria, especially women, was gender-sensitive, trauma-informed and needs institutionally supported protection mechanisms.
The commandant opined that to adequately protect journalists, it was strategically imperative for security agencies to create clear policy reforms, capacity building, data systems, accountability, prevention and collaboration with media stakeholders.
The security expert further urged sister agencies to issue a directive to commands, mandating a responsive protection of women in journalism.
“Allocate resources for the liaison desk and rapid response protocol, commit to quarterly data reporting on incidents involving female journalists, engage proactively with media houses and journalist associations to build trust and coordination.
“Champion an institutional culture where violence against women journalists is condemned, investigated and punishable.
“Together, by implementing these measures, we will help safeguard not only the lives of female journalists but the very foundation of our democracy, security and public interest,” Odumosu said.
According to him, the NSCDC in partnership with other security agencies in Nigeria had made some positive strides in limiting attacks on citizens, not exempting journalists; by creating gender desks.
He said other efforts were through training and collaborations.
He however highlighted some major gaps which included under-reporting of GBV against journalists, digital threats, coordination, data, institutional attitude and accountability.
NAN reports that the two-day workshop was graced by stakeholders from the media and security sector in Africa.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)