Asia-Pacific Women's Recommendations on Media for Beijing+20

Excerpts from the Civil Society Statement on the Beijing+20 Review
Bangkok, Thailand, 14-16 November 2014
Asia Pacific CSO Steering Committee
Read the complete statement and the final CSO Forum Report.

"The women at the Asia Pacific Beijing+20 Civil Society Forum collectively recognise the following concerns and priorities for women in Asia and the Pacific regarding the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action, the post-2015 development agenda, and beyond.
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Women and the Media

Access to the media must be universal. To address digital and media divides, governments must have the political will to address economic, social-cultural and political divides that perpetuate gender inequality and discrimination against women. There must be increased support by government for women-driven media that reaches different audiences with different needs.

We call on governments to develop media policies, practices and tools that respect women's human rights and gender equality and that eliminate gender stereotyping, biases, and discriminatory portrayals of women and other social groups in media. It is critical for government and civil society to promote media literacy that will provide women and girls to be more engaged in how media portrays them as well as digital literacy as a component of meaningful access enabling women and girls including the marginalised and under-represented communities in media to develop essential technical skills as users and consumers so they may become active agents who can participate fully in social and public life.

Governments must use gender audits such as the Global Media Monitoring project to conduct quantitative and qualitative analysis of content to ensure that government communication and media strategies effectively promote gender equality. This must also ensure an increase in the number of women in decision-making positions in all media institutions whether corporate or alternative including social media.

Strategies need to be developed for government and private media to work with women's media groups to conduct trainings, regarding appropriate language and understanding of gender issues. Internet governance and or regulations need to incorporate a gender perspective with the participation of women in all decision-making processes.

Internet and mobile phone service providers must develop corporate policies, practices and tools that respect women's rights and prevent technology-related forms of violence against women. Such policies must ensure the participation of women in internet governance processes and in telecommunications regulatory policies and ensure greater affordability of mobile, internet and other technologies for all, paying particular attention to addressing the gender gap in access."

See more at: Asia Pacific CSO Forum on Beijing+20