Title: Patrick Muyaya Katembwe proclaims the need for inclusive communication in the fight against gender-based violence in the DRC.
On Tuesday June 20, under the high patronage of Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi, President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Minister of Communication and Media, Patrick Muyaya Katembwe, participated in an international conference on gender-based violence (GBV). This conference is an opportunity for him to point out the importance of taking it into account in communication and to proclaim the need for the involvement of the media in the fight against gender-based violence.
Very determined as to the effective integration of women in society, Muyaya Katembwe sees in communication a transversal tool that can play a major role in the fight to eradicate this problem. For him, communication is this space in which the actors committed to the cause of women must express themselves.
Several initiatives have been put in place to support this aspiration, including the launch of the second edition of the Henriette Eke Media Prize 2023 in collaboration with the UNFP. Open to all journalists, this competition aims to improve the quality of journalistic production on gender-based violence and to strengthen awareness and advocacy on the prevention of violence in all its forms.
Patrick Muyaya Katembwe also insisted on the cultural issues underlying this issue. According to him, the perception of women must be rethought through a change of narrative. He thus sees the man as the first responsible for the development of the woman: it is he who, through attitudes, words and traditions, must arouse in her the desire to fully play her role in society.
The Minister of Communication and the Media thus considers that gender-based violence is “in no way acceptable”. He insisted on the need to ensure that each individual, man as well as woman, contributes on a daily basis to the work of rebuilding the country, by deconstructing the erroneous perceptions he may have about women.
Patrick Muyaya Katembwe therefore wants to be very committed to the fight against gender-based violence. This commitment is shared by the President of the Republic who has already worked for gender equality through the choices made in certain institutions and certain portfolios. Faced with such determination, the results are sure to follow.
Sources:
– https://fatshimetrie.org/blog/2023/06/23/violences-basees-sur-le-genre-quelle-implication-du-gouvernement-congolais-dans-la-communication/
– https://news