Veteran journalist Mrs Eyram Bashan has advised female journalists to insist on formalising every engagement with their employers whilst being employed in the media fraternity.
She explained that sometimes the threats and the mistreatment experienced by female journalists have been because they do not have any contract with their employers.
“Don’t just take any verbal promises and end it there. Demand that everything is documented,” she noted.
She said this at a conference held for female journalists on their safety in the country.
Eyram Bashan added that female journalists in their quest to ensuring their safety in the media fraternity must also seek and negotiate properly for their safety net.
“Ask for the safety things like insurance and social security and don’t leave anything that hasn’t been explained to you,” she stated.
The veteran journalist also urged female journalists to be progressively skillful because it makes it possible for them to negotiate their best in employment.
She indicated that it was necessary that female journalists also invest in their personal security and not only leave that in the hands of their employers.
“You ought to be wise about these things because the environment in which we live in is volatile,” Eyram Bashan stressed.
She advised female journalists to also find emotional support systems in the course of executing their work because it is needed when they go through trials in their profession.
“Don’t be a mole against another. Refuse to be used. Refuse when anyone tries to pit you against someone,” she added as a key in helping their fellow journalists.
Employers
The media personality also advised employers to invest in their female journalists.
“The conditions of services ought to be different and more female friendly for our women,” she underscored.
Eyram Bashan urged them to also develop policies and procedures as well as invest in professional human resources whilst employing their staff.
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“Don’t just say it by word of mouth; put them in a documentation form,” she emphasised.
Head of Joy Business, Odelia Ntiamoah, also stated how significant it is to have more women at the top.
She explained that the only way women issues can be addressed explicitly is when more women at the top talk about their problems and how they can be addressed.
Madam Ntiamoah said it was also important that women put themselves out there for opportunities.
“We’ve got to be willing to take the difficult task and do more to make us competitive in our field of work,” she emphasised.
The Vice-President of the Ghana Journalists’ Association (GJA), Linda Asante-Agyei, also added that female journalists should also consider joining unions like the GJA and other institutions in order to receive aid when it comes to safety issues.
“We’ve got to be willing to take the difficult task and do more to make us competitive in our field of work,” she advised.
