WUNRN
Isis International-Manila is
a feminist NGO committed to creating spaces within information and
communications structures and systems, that promote the many voices of women,
particularly those from the South. Isis believes women’s access and capacity to
participate in generating and disseminating their own knowledge and experiences
through various mediums of communication can lead to transformation of society.
____________________________________________________________
Isis International - Community &
Independent Media - Gender
_____________________________________________________________________
Women
Making Airwaves for Peace is a joint project of Min-WoW and Isis International -
Manila to promote engendered peace journalism and women's critical role in
conflict transformation and peace building. The project consists os Training
Workshops and Training Modules.
_____________________________________________________________________
THAILAND:MEDIA
& THAI WOMEN
CMDI
AND ISIS LAUNCH PC4D
Bangkok, Thailand - PC4D - Thai
women's groups gathered in Bangkok to discuss the
kind of information and
communication tools that matter to them.
The Civil Media Development
Institute (CDMI),
in collaboration with Isis
International,
launched the People's Communications for Development
(PC4D),
the book and campaign, in Bangkok, Thailand, on 31 July 2008.
PC4D
is a three-year study that encompassed five countries: Fiji, India,
Papua New Guinea, Philippines and Thailand and aimed to determine the
communication tools that are more effective and empowering for women.
Communicating
to Women, Women Communicating
During the launch, most participants raised the problems of women in
communications, particularly in expressing themselves and in making
their issues and analyses visible in mainstream media.
The
participants also bewail the common phenomenon where women only
manage to land the front pages when they are "victims."
PC4D
in All the Five Countries:
Across all five countries studied, traditional communication tools
particularly radio, film and theatre remain the most accessible and
effective tools for grassroots women. In the Pacific region, community
radio has been a primary channel of communications for women's groups
advocating various issues associated with domestic violence,
reproductive rights and other health concerns.
Aside from having a wide coverage and filling the airwaves over
communities unreached by television and internet, radio is also valued
because it provides listerners information without altering their
routine. India similarly put a high regard to theatre which has been a
cultural form and space that has been utilised by women's and social
movements. Film and video have also been cited as effective media due to
their visually stimulating qualities and their emotive appeal. Print
media is also highly valued in Fiji and Papua New Guinea where a strong
reading culture has been developed. Of the new ICTs, only the cellular
phone was deemed accessible and effective particularly in the
Philippines and India.
In Thailand, theatre and film have also been cited by women as among the
most effective and empowering communication tools. Based on the study,
audio-visual tools are preferred by intermediary groups in reaching out
to grassroots women and children. Radio continues to be the most
accessible tool in the communities with 62 per cent, followed by land
line (31%) and theatre (15%), validating the importance of the role of
community radio especially in far-flung areas.
Meanwhile, among the most effective tools include film or video,
posters, radio and theatre. The internet has been cited as the least
effective tool in interacting with grassroots women by 45 per cent of
the respondents, followed by computers. This finding is mainly due to
cost and skill considerations. There are also areas of the country where
electricity services are intermittent. Some grassroots women also found
these new communication tools to be wanting in terms of interactivity
and visual stimulation. Most internet content is also in English,
reflecting another major barrier.
But of all the communication tools, oral and face-to-face communications
remain the most empowering for grassroots women in all countries. "This
mode of communication is greatly appreciated and to a large extent is
inevitable because it is the best way to develop trust, nurture
relationships, and encourage women to actively organise and advocate
issues," Nina Somera of Isis International explained.
There remains a battle for
legitimacy in structure and process of community
radio in Thailand. Thailand has one
of the most vibrant community radio
landscapes in South East Asia with
over 3,000 community radios throughout
the country.
Article 14 of the 1997 Thai constitution provides for media freedom,
including the allocation of frequencies for community media. Such
provision was meant to infuse diversity in Thai media where radio and
television stations are owned by the government, with some being leased
to private companies. Ten years since the 1997 constitution, an
independent frequency committee had yet to be established and a
broadcasting law had yet to be adopted.
NEW
BILL THREATENS COMMUNITY RADIO IN THAILAND
|
Jul
01, 2008 |
|
The Thai cabinet recently approved a proposed broadcasting law that can weaken community radios. While the Independent Organisation for Broadcasting and Telecommunications Bill mandates the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) to support community radio, it does not maintain the current 20 per cent frequency spectrum allocation for non-profit civil society groups. The World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) also notes two other provisions which can severely affect the independence of both community radio and the NBTC. The bill limits the revenues community radios may receive, requiring that excess amount be remitted to the local government. The function of selecting the members of the NBTC is also being transferred to the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications (MIT). AMARC also asserts that no public consultation was ever made on the issue. |
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