Over the years, open as well as latent conflicts between communities and within states have been occurring in countries of the Central African sub region.
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These strives have had considerable impact on the socio economic development of the sub region.
As the general stability of the sub region is threatened by the prevailing situation, women are the most hit.
Being the prime targets therefore of these conflicts, these women are seen to bear their brunt in silence, resigning themselves to their fate, traumatized by all forms of violence one can think of.
In time of war, the media are a great force to reckon with. They could play the role of mediator or interpreter, at the same time they could ignite conflict either through outright propaganda or by publishing incorrect or unnecessary information.
What would the media have as response to this silent pain? Can media women better discern the distress suffered by female victims of these conflicts?
The Cameroon chapter of IAWRT decided to organize this workshop, which provided a platform for media women in the Central Africa Sub Region to brainstorm on their contribution towards the prevention of armed conflicts, internal violence and the restoration of peace.
The main objective of the seminar was to arouse an interest in the media in Central Africa to take into account the gender aspect in the area of conflicts and the promotion of peace.
By the end of the seminar, participants had been acquainted with the rules of International Humanitarian Law, international instruments relating to women and armed conflicts.
They also had in-depth discussions on the gender dimension in peace and reconciliation processes, new approaches in the domain of conflict resolution, the gender dimension in conflict reporting, the role and status of humanitarian organisations in conflict situations and some techniques of reporting during conflicts.
The Swiss Embassy in Cameroon sponsored the 3-day workshop, with institutional support from the Ministry of Communication and the Cameroon Radio Television (CRTV).
Opening the workshop, the Minister of Communication, Jean-Pierre Biyiti Essam encouraged the media women to ensure that they expose the dehumanising torture of women and children, who are victims of armed conflicts to the world.
One major outcome of the workshop was the creation of the Network of media women for peace advocacy in the Central African Sub region, CEMAC.
The 30 participants at the workshop came from Chad, the Central African Republic and Cameroon.
