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Deal with it

City police chief unveils security gadget for women journos

Zicom has created an alert that the user can press, generating real time location info and photos that will be immediately analysed.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Women journalists face many threats in the line of duty. Added to the list of late nights, rounds of courts and police stations, going to unsafe places to report a news item is the threat of predators. In the recent past, there have been incidents of women journalists in Mumbai being targeted and attacked while on duty.

The electronics security company Zicom has now launched a security alert system, Ziman, that acts like a ‘personal bodyguard’. The device was launched at the hands of Mumbai Police chief Javed Ahmed in the city yesterday.

Explaining the need for the device, Zicom’s Managing Director Pramoud Rao said, “The job of a journalist is really commendable. They accept great risk to unravel the truth and get the story for people. But they need to travel at odd hours and go to unsafe places to cover a story, which puts their life at risk. There have been several unfortunate incidents of attacks on in the recent past. The device gets to work when there is a risk. All the journalist needs to do is trigger the alert installed in her mobile phone and our response team gets in action.”

When the trigger is activated, the mobile phone starts sending pictures and videos to the Zicom Command Centre which is immediately analysed. “We alert the family at once and even contact the authorities and the emergency services if needed,” Rao adds.

Javed Ahmed added, “On several occasions, even if we catch the culprits, there is no proof against them. With this device, the pictures and videos of the attack taking place are immediately captured. Not only can the attack be prevented but immediate action can also be taken.

Categories
Big story

Global survey on violence against women journos launched

All women journalists can participate in survey that maps the global situation of women in the line of journalistic duty.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

The International News Safety Institute (INSI) has launched a global survey on violence against women journalists in collaboration with UNESCO as part of promotion of the safety of journalists and the issue of impunity. All news media workers, and particularly women journalists, are invited to participate in the survey, which will run until September 20, 2013.

The survey is supported by the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs and was created together with the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF). It is aimed at looking into the global situation of female journalists and the nature of the dangers they face in connection with their work.

“In many parts of the world, women are threatened and attacked for the work they do – work which, in some cultures and countries, challenges gender stereotypes,” said Hannah Storm, Director of INSI.

According to her, these attacks take the form in sexual assaults, rapes, cyber-bullying, emotional harassment and threats against their loved ones. “Sadly,  many of these crimes are not reported as a result of powerful cultural and professional stigmas,” she added.

The findings of the survey will serve as the basis for INSI to work further with field experts, which will be followed by a series of recommendations to increase the safety of women journalists.

This survey will allow news producers to confidentially share the experiences of women journalists, in order to get a real sense of the dangers and threats they face in their day-to-day work, and work to find ways to make the situation safer for them and their families.

The survey itself will contribute to the “UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity which is based a multi-stakeholder approach to create a free and safe environment for journalists and media workers, both in conflict and non-conflict situations.

The survey also complements INSI’s on-going efforts in the issue of safety of journalists, acknowledging that danger also spans all genders. Prior to this survey, INSI has published a publication titled No Woman’s Land – On the Frontlines with Female Reporters and has kicked off with a safety training programme specifically aimed at female media workers in various parts of the world.

Women working in the news media are especially invited to participate in this survey, although men with information to add are also welcome. The survey can be accessed here. Last date for completion is September 20, 2013.

(Picture courtesy peaceisthenewblack.blogspot.com. Picture used for representational purpose only)

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