Seychelles hailed for recognising women-• Local media ranked second in the region |16 October 2012

The local media has also been ranked second in a study that places the Lesotho media as the one that most listens to the voices of women.

These came to light during a two-day course in Mauritius in which four Seychellois journalists –Stephanie Remie and Myra Labiche (from SBC) and Mandy Bertin and George Thande (from Seychelles Nation – are taking part.

Loga Virahsawmy, who is the Gender Links director of the Francophone office based in Mauritius, and other speakers made positive remarks about the achievements when they gave statistics to 20 delegates attending a two-day workshop at Quatre Bornes, Mauritius, which has been organised by the University of Mauritius (UoM) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco).

“Seychelles leadership clearly has a political commitment in recognising the role women can play in development,” said Ms Virahsawmy soon after Christina Chan-Meetoo launched the workshop at the Gold Crest hotel.

The director said a study showed Lesotho media quotes women in 37% of the news items they broadcast or print, while Seychelles involves 31% in a situation where the region’s other media talks to only 17% of women in the issues they highlight.

In an exercise they did yesterday, women were featured in only 20 to 30% of the photographs published in newspapers, and quoted in even smaller numbers.

“Women need to be listened to especially in issues involving them,” said Ms Virahsawmy.

While male editors in the southern African region predominate the media, Seychelles was said to be faring well where the percentages between men and women nearly balance.