New Delhi, 8 March 2025: Celebrating International Women’s Day today, Indian Journalists Union (IJU) joins and supports partner, International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) global campaign ‘Gender-Equal Media for a Gender-Equal Future’. Marking the 30th anniversary of Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a landmark commitment to advancing women’s rights, the campaign calls for journalists’ unions and media worldwide to take concrete action towards achieving gender equality in the media.
The IJU also joins the IFJ in deploring the ‘growing hostility to gender equality and women’s rights, with far-right movements threatening decades of progress.’ It urges media professionals, trade unions, and governments to reinforce their commitment to the Beijing Declaration’s goals, which among others identified media as a key sector in achieving gender equality, outlining two critical objectives: Increasing women’s participation in decision-making roles and access to expression and fighting gender stereotypes in the news.
For decades, the IFJ has led initiatives to support these goals, including research, training, and advocacy campaigns to tackle violence against women journalists, empower women in unions, and eliminate gender bias in media representation. However, the Federation points out that ‘progress remains slow’, and ‘growing political opposition to gender rights across the world threatens to undo hard-won gains.’
Noting that this month, the 69th session of UN Commission on Status of Women (CSW) will review global progress and adopt a Political Declaration that will shape policies on gender equality, the IJU shall engage with both Centre and state governments to ensure gender equality in media remains a key priority and endorse IFJ demands: Defend the right to freedom of expression for women and marginalised groups; Support fair and unbiased representation of all genders in the media;- Push for equal access to leadership positions in the media industry; Advocate for stronger laws protecting gender equality and tackling gender-based violence; Expose and condemn misogyny and gender discrimination in all their forms.
In a statement, IJU President and former member of Press Council of India Geetartha Pathak and Secretary General and IFJ Vice President Sabina Inderjit urged its states affiliates across the country to put gender equality in their unions and in media houses as top priority. The Gender Councils, which are in place must prioritise equal representation for women on all fronts and Unions which are yet to set up Gender Councils should do at the earliest, to give the much-needed fillip gender equality deserves.
