Studies..Gender and freedom of expression

Iraqi Women Journalist Forum 2015
Iraq has witnessed after 2003 some developments regarding the status of women in media freedom, pluralism and independence and safety has been the result of the proliferation of social media than women enabled the direct benefit of the freedom of the media to contribute to industry news and contribute to the opinion in the public domain at the same time, the relative exclusion of women news content by the mainstream media and even online media is a constant phenomenon that may be seen a slight change ..
In this paper we tracked and monitored developments on these aspects according to the dimensions of freedom of expression and gender in Iraq of freedom, pluralism and independence and safety and equality between the sexes and evaluation at the national level.

Women and freedom of expression:
The activities on the task of the World Wide Web for women’s freedom to express Unlike traditional media has provided a platform technological for women the ability to express their personality and communication with the world as these platforms have enabled many women to exchange ideas and discuss serious issues and thus break the social franchise and engage in public discourse about the issues of the activities of the Iraqi women to social networking sites, particularly women journalists after the events of (Daash) in June 2014 found that the most prominent blogs that quoted event of Mosul first Powell, for example, a journalist woman, named, (Suha Ouda) draw upon many of the media and civil human rights organizations to follow up The event resulted in the transfer of what (Daash) took over of the city.

Pluralism and gender:

women’s employment to a large extent in all sectors and work areas rates have increased but occupational segregation and the representation of women in the media is still lacking, especially in the roles and decision-making levels, exceeding the numerical expansion and keeping the trend of women in most media institutions Media Home living situation is stable and returning data confirmed by the study of the image of women in the media in 2014 that prepared by Media Women Forum Iraqi confirms once again the acquisition of man on the rates appearing in the media as a source or as a media or for the use of media as a way to be heard across the world as a whole with the existence of gender disparities for to the media via the Internet, seems that the alternative media such as networks of social networking and social media tended are also gradually to reflect the ancient patterns qualitative representation (gender), except in cases where special efforts are to ensure the balance between the sexes.
Gender and labor:

Gender and labor cannot be denied that there is a surge in the curves increase the representation of women in the media and employment in this field, where the employment of women in the media doubled after 2003 In Iraq, the voice of 67% of the female journalists that there is no equality of opportunity for the assumption positions of responsibility between informatics and media, and 46% of them did not get on material reward or a book of thanks in spite of submitting not distinctive workers, adding that only 1% of them are heads of department or secretarial edit. In any case, the men were able to gain the largest proportion, either in industry news rooms and editing film It’s different from what it is in office and look for local radio stations more optimistic view than the rest of the media as one of the most media inclusive, enabling a group of women (including the illiterate, rural and poor women to exercise their rights in communication and their voices heard despite the fact that most were men, but what distinguishes this type of media in particular the existence of a specialized radio Women and Sharazad.. that were stopped recently, as well as radio ..
Women in traditional media:

the results of the questionnaire conducted by the Media Women Forum showed that the area granted by the media to women’s issues, 51% poor and 44% average and 5% is enough, and the voice of 52% of the respondents that the Iraqi media shows women naïve and backward and 31% exhibited a civilized and modern and 9% manifestations of immoral and 8%.

Leadership shown by the institution to avoid the strategy put sensitive issues such as sexual harassment and trafficking in women ratios are as follows: Yes 72%, and 9% both, and sometimes 19%.
Independence and gender:

Iraqi Women Journalist Forum, through seminars held on the structure of independent media organizations that are represented by a network of the Iraqi media, the media and communications Board of Trustees in them devoid of women, and that the Press Syndicate Council in which only one woman out does have these notes secured with in (CEDAW )report and the report of NPR, and in turn, the Special Committee expressed concern in paragraph 33A) , And the creation of a legislative mechanism to speed up the arrival of women.

 

Iraqi Women Journalist Forum is sought to develop a strategy dealing with the reduction of women’s participation in decision-media-making through the campaign adopted by mid-2014 and claim the three presidencies allocation of seats for women by not less than (30%) within the legislation on media institutions; Iraqi media, and the media and communications and the Ministry of culture and even journalists’ union offices and the media of the three authorities in addition to the effort to coordinate with the concerned organizations for the purpose of building the capacity of journalists to assume decision-making positions.

 

Safety and gender:
Iraq recorded since 2003 and until 2014 killing of 28 press in addition to threatening  , which led to their migration out of Iraq and despite the claim and media rights organizations to provide information on cases of investigation into the murders of journalists in general, but until now was not detected for the perpetrators of these crimes .
Women largely have benefited from access to communications-based online feature, but it was accompanied by too many disadvantages represented in the new forms of violence against women, including harassment on the Internet and penetrates privacy, smear campaigns and threats of spreading fabricated records on social networks.
In addition to the cases of killings of journalists and defamation via social networking sites, directly or indirectly, there is also sexual abuse and harassment has been proven by a field study of the Media Women Forum in 2013 that 68% of journalists are being harassed and despite exposure to this dangerous apparently lost 42% of them voted as continue to work and 40% of them attributed the cause of survival to work for fear of defamation and 24% because of financial need and 36% are not other reasons. And most of the journalists that they cannot sue or disclose publicly for fear of scandal and defamation and weak legal substances that protect women in situations of harassment.

Recommendations:
1. Increase the capacity building of women journalists in the field of social journalism.
2. Media Women Forum support in the campaign for Iraqi women journalists assume decision-making through the media centers quota by at least one to three.
3. Assisting in the preparation of an annual report on the safety of journalists in Iraq and the size of the violations exposed.
4. Networking with regional and international organizations on gender and freedom of expression issues.
5. Immediate and quick pass on the draft amendments to the existing freedom of expression in the Iraqi Parliament Act to include gender has been the focus of informatics student forum and the Alliance of freedom of expression and so we need more support.
6. Helping Iraqi Media Women Forum to intensify work on specialized studies on women and the media.
7. Awareness and education for journalists about violations that get them through the Web sites that limit their freedom of expression and how to legally prosecute those responsible.
8. Include international and regional flags and reports on the status of women journalists Iraqi women.
9. Involvement of Iraqi women journalists in the writing of the (CEDAW) report and the universal periodic report.
10. Alert the media organizations on the traditional stereotype of women reflected across its means and claim different policies.