Media practitioner Rafat Salami, during a training session in Ilorin, advocated for amendments to the Cybercrime Act to ensure journalists can fulfill their constitutional duties.

 

As an assistant director at the Voice of Nigeria, VON, in Abuja, Salami emphasized the need for changes during a three-day training on gender equity and safety/gender-sensitive reporting, stating that current provisions within the Act hinder journalistic effectiveness.

 

“Most journalists do not know what is in the Cybercrime Act. If we do, we won’t be seated here without agitating for its amendment because it is standing in the line of our work.

 

So, as journalists, we should seek for the amendment because we are the only profession recognised by the Constitution,” Salami, who is one of the trainers at the training programme,” she said.

 

According to News Agency of Nigeria Salami, however, noted that “since we have rights to be respected, we also have responsibilities that are attached to them”.

 

While taking participants through the subject of sexual harassment in workplaces, she called for more awareness of the menace.

 

”This can be done by educating the members of staff on what to do to ensure the workplace sexual harassment policy is respected,” the former Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, FCT Council said.

 

Salami also urged the NUJ to ensure representation on the workplace complaints committee and conduct workshops on self-defence and build the confidence of women to report harassment.

 

She urged the participants to ensure safety in the discharge of their duties, adding that “no story is worth a journalist’s life’’.

 

Salami urged them to always be prepared for emergency situations as they could arise at any time.

 

The training is organised by the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists, NAWOJ, in collaboration with the Norwegian Union of Journalists, Norsk Journalist lag,.

 

The training involved 30 participants, comprising 25 females and five males.