NUSOJ caps 16 Days of Activism with human rights colloquium, deepening gender justice push in Somalia’s media
The National Union of Somali Journalists has closed an intensive 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence with a human rights colloquium in Mogadishu, framing a clear agenda: empower women journalists, reshape newsroom culture, and elevate ethical coverage of gender-based violence across Somalia.
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Backed by the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives, the union’s November 25–December 10 effort combined safeguarding, skills-building and public engagement to equip reporters to challenge discrimination while improving safety and inclusion in Somali newsrooms. The campaign threaded its work through the country’s media ecosystem, from frontline training to public dialogue, culminating on International Human Rights Day with renewed commitments from journalists and editors to center survivors and uphold human rights.
The drive opened on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, with the launch of the National Safeguarding Initiative for Women Journalists in Mogadishu. More than 150 female journalists, male colleagues and media stakeholders met for practical training on personal safety, digital protection and collective advocacy, with strategies to confront sexual violence and harassment in the newsroom, in the field and online. For many participants, the forum offered a rare, open space to share experiences, build solidarity and strengthen the tools needed to protect themselves and their peers.
“Emancipating and empowering women journalists, while bringing male colleagues to the table to confront long-ignored workplace abuses, has been vital in exposing harmful practices that must be eliminated from our media industry. These honest conversations are paving the way for concrete action to protect women journalists both online and in the office,” said Nima Hassan Abdi, NUSOJ Organisation Secretary.
NUSOJ extended its reach beyond the capital with workshops in Garowe, Puntland State, and Kismayo, Jubaland. Those sessions focused on ethical and responsible reporting on gender-based violence, with intensive training in trauma-informed storytelling, survivor-centered approaches and accurate, fact-based coverage. Journalists examined language choices that reduce harm, verified best practices for sourcing and consent, and mapped pathways for accountability reporting without sensationalism.
The regional sessions helped catalyze media campaigns across Federal Member States that celebrated survivor resilience, spotlighted impunity and pushed for systemic reforms. Youth and women-led discussions gained traction on air and online, broadening the conversation about how newsrooms can actively counter harassment and bias while amplifying community-led solutions.
The campaign’s closing note on December 10 brought more than reflection. NUSOJ convened a Human Rights Colloquium in Mogadishu that coincided with the opening of a three-day training track for city-based journalists. Participants scrutinized their reporting practices, exchanged field-tested tools for tackling sexual violence and workplace harassment, and explored practical steps to make newsrooms safer—policies for harassment reporting, editorial checks that guard against harmful framing, and peer support for women journalists navigating online abuse.
“Journalism is a public good that protects communities by shining a light on abuse and holding power to account. This duty can only be fulfilled when journalists are free, confident, skilled and able to use their voices responsibly. Our work over these 16 days has shown the powerful role the media can play in exposing gender-based violence, challenging harmful norms and driving solutions that put survivors and their rights at the centre. This is how journalism strengthens society, with journalists’ voices uplifted and amplified,” said Omar Faruk Osman, NUSOJ Secretary General.
While the initiative foregrounded women’s leadership, it also drew in male allies—a strategic choice in a sector where gatekeeping power still rests largely with men. Facilitators encouraged editors and managers to align internal policies with survivor-centered standards and to model accountability from the top, recognizing that newsroom culture and ethical reporting are inseparable.
Measured outcomes point to momentum within the Somali media sector. According to data shared by news media organizations and organizers, the 16 Days effort delivered tangible results:
- More than 150 journalists benefited from professional development activities in Mogadishu, Garowe and Kismayo.
- Sixty-two media outlets strengthened preparedness for gender-sensitive reporting and pledged improvements to workplace conditions for women journalists.
- Media reports and broadcasts tied to the campaign reached an estimated 2.5 million viewers and listeners.
- Social media engagement topped 1,120,000 interactions across platforms.
Those numbers sit behind a broader cultural shift the union is trying to accelerate: normalizing safety protocols for women journalists, embedding trauma-informed practices in everyday reporting and widening newsroom accountability for harassment. The campaign’s emphasis on practical tools—digital security for targeted reporters, clearer lines for reporting abuse, and editorial guidelines for covering gender-based violence—translated ideals into steps journalists can carry into their next assignment.
Equally notable was the campaign’s locally led design, made possible with CFLI support. Trainers grounded sessions in Somali realities: the risks of field reporting in fragile security environments, the prevalence of online harassment, and the layered stigma survivors face when abuse becomes public. That context guided discussions about consent, anonymity and the right not to tell, underscoring that audience impact and survivor dignity are not competing priorities but shared obligations.
By closing on Human Rights Day, the union linked universal principles to daily newsroom decisions: who is heard, how stories are framed, and what protections journalists can expect at work. Participants left with commitments—formal and informal—to champion safer, more equitable newsrooms and to keep gender justice at the center of their coverage.
In a country where journalists routinely confront threats, the 16 Days initiative reframed safety to include freedom from gendered abuse and the right to work without fear. The message was clear: responsible reporting on gender-based violence is not a niche skill but core to public-interest journalism. And changing how newsrooms operate—policy by policy, assignment by assignment—can move the wider public conversation toward justice.
As the union turns the page on this year’s campaign, its playbook is set: sustain the training, widen the coalition, and keep human rights front and center in Somalia’s media. The groundwork is there—in new skills, stronger networks and growing public engagement—to build on what the 16 days began.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
