Mrs Tettey was facilitating a two-day workshop on gender equity and safety for female journalists and photographers, organised by the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) with sponsorship from the Federation of International Journalists (IFJ) and the Norwegian Union of Journalists in Ho, which ended Tuesday, December 30.
“Let’s make a positive impact as female journalists,” the seasoned journalists said, encouraging participants to rally their peers and create a ripple effect.

She emphasised the importance of acknowledging differences between men and women but stressed that these differences should not justify unequal treatment or discrimination. “The difference should not be generated into discrimination,” she said, using an orange and an apple to illustrate her point.
The virtually all-female workshop identified pressing issues affecting women in the media industry including pregnancy/childbearing and maternity leave, noting that these could be challenging to the practice of the profession and called for support for women in these phases, and not discriminated against, while advising women to strive for excellence and not give men the avenue to discriminate against them.

The event which treated topics including gender equity, difference and discrimination, journalists’ rights and gender safety, sexual harassment at the workplace, and gender and safety in the field, took participants through practical tips on safety and saw the participants make presentations on campaigning for equity and safety.
It was also a platform for the female journalists to share experiences, challenges, and solutions, with renewed calls for them to build their capacity, take up challenging roles and most importantly, be advocates for these issues while calling on their male counterparts for support.

Dr Harison Belley, Volta Regional Chairman of the GJA in an interview with GNA said the collaboration among the IFJ, the Norwegian Union of Journalists and the GJA resulted from years of attacks especially on female journalists.
“We have observed within the last period – five, six years, how journalists, especially females, have been attacked in line of their practice. So, there is the need for these organisations to bring female journalists to this workshop so that they can get some orientation on how to handle some of these issues. You will bear testimony… You have learned a lot about how to defend yourself, especially when you are under attack.”

Some participants in an interview, described the workshop as instructive, assuring of their commitment to driving change, with others pledging to be advocates for the critical issues discussed
“I feel empowered to make a difference. This workshop highlighted the importance of creating a supportive environment, where journalists, especially females can work without fear of harassment or discrimination. It’s a collective responsibility – everyone has a role to play. And the call to action was clear – we must speak up for ourselves. And we need the support of our male counterparts to make a lasting impact,” one of them said.