On Wednesday, representatives from some media agencies in Da Nang attended a talk about promoting gender equality and women's empowerment in the mass media.

The talk in progress (Photo: http://www.phunuonline.com.vn)

The event was jointly organised by the municipal Department of Information and Communications, the local Women’s Union and the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) in Viet Nam.

A spokesperson for the UN Women said that gender inequality is clearly seen in the mass media worldwide as females are not as prevalent as males on screen in popular media.  This is illustrated by the percentage of female interviewees in daily world news is 25%, female speaking characters in hero films 23%, and women in leadership positions in global media agencies 27%.  In addition to gender inequality, women are victims of domestic violence and gender discrimination.

Some representatives from the Da Nang Women’s Journalists Club and the Hoa Vang District Radio Station noted that their units have taken the initiative to publicise the guidelines and policies issued by the Party, State and the city about women amongst local residents.  Recent years have seen a significant increase in the number of publications about gender equality and anti-domestic violence.

Speaking at the event, DA NANG Newspaper Deputy Editor-in-Chief Hua Van Hai remarked “Our newspaper has developed many special items about gender equality and anti-domestic violence.  In addition, we have frequently praised typical examples that are female for their great efforts in promoting the city’s progress over recent years.  We generate regular publicity about these matters to raise public awareness about gender equality and empowering women in the city.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Information and Communications urged local media agencies to continue their efforts to widely publicise gender equality in their publications in order to protect women’s legitimate interests in the society.