HA NOI, 21 October 2018 – ASEAN and UN Women held an inaugural seminar on Gender and Media Literacy on 21 October in Ha Noi, Vietnam, aiming to raise understanding and awareness of media practitioners on gender equality.
The seminar was opened by a HeForShe pinning ceremony during which Kung Phoak, Deputy Secretary-General (DSG) for the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community, received a pin as supporter of Global HeForShe and ASEAN HeForShe campaign.
“The media plays an important role in addressing gender inequality,” said DSG Kung Phoak. “It is important that women are portrayed positively in the media and young girls are able to see themselves as powerful agents of change, instead of passive bystanders. More importantly, it is important that young boys are able to see women as equal partners, capable of leading,” he added.
The event was one of a series of events leading up to the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Women which will be held later this week.
It was observed that gender biases and stereotypes have permeated all forms of media in ASEAN. Women remain underrepresented in the media and are often portrayed in stereotypical roles. The normalization of violence against women on television and other media has become a concern. The media heavily influences social perceptions, with young boys and girls internalizing gender biases.
With 74 per cent of the total ASEAN population now having access to the internet through mobile phones, there is an urgent need to promote media literacy among media users and producers, and address the stereotypical depictions of women and girls.
The seminar focused on raising understanding and awareness of media practitioners on gender equality and on strengthening media literacy among media users and producers in the region. It brought together government representatives, media practitioners, youth and change makers, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to exchange insights and perspectives on how to promote gender sensitive media and media literacy especially among the youth. Participants explored ways on how media literacy can contribute to combatting harmful depictions of women and girls and to transforming gender relations in the ASEAN context.
Nguyen Manh Cuong, Director General for International Cooperation Department of Vietnam’s Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, noted that “the inclusion of men and boys as agents of change in addressing gender stereotypes, remains a crucial factor in the struggle for gender equality.”
This seminar worked towards fulfilling the ASEAN Committee on Women (ACW)’s objective to raise understanding and awareness of media practitioners on gender equality and transforming social norms and behaviours.
Acknowledging that gender equality is a cross-cutting issue, the ACW remains committed to mainstream gender equality in other ASEAN bodies especially those working on media, information, culture and art such as the ASEAN Senior Officials Responsible for Information (SOMRI) and the ASEAN Senior Officials on Culture and Art (SOMCA).
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