Humul-Khrusum Tahiru, president of Women in Broadcasting, has called on female media practitioners across the Upper East Region and beyond to unite and work together to bring about positive change in the area.
Speaking on the Equal Voices programme on A1 Radio, Madam Tahiru emphasized the importance of collective action, urging women to join forces in addressing key issues such as peacebuilding and combating hate speech.
“We are using this opportunity to call on all women practicing in the media landscape here in the Upper East Region and beyond to come join us so that we can pool our efforts and become change-makers in this region.”
She highlighted the organization’s ongoing peace initiatives, noting that while the group has made significant strides, financial constraints have limited the scale of their impact.
Despite these challenges, she expressed optimism, pointing to positive responses from local communities and increased enthusiasm among members to continue advocating for peace during this election period.
“Women in Broadcasting has undertaken several peace projects. It was our dream to do more than we did, but unfortunately, our financial resources did not allow us to go further.”
She also voiced strong concerns over the proliferation of hate speech, warning that it can fuel violence and misunderstandings. Madam Tahiru stressed that hate speech should not be tolerated in any form and urged both individuals and institutions to take steps to reduce or eliminate it.
“Hate speech shouldn’t be encouraged because it can lead to violence and misunderstandings. It should not exist in the first place. Where it does exist, everything humanly and institutionally possible should be done to either minimize it or completely eradicate it, as it has no place among humans.”
In addition to tackling hate speech, she called for the implementation of policies aimed at curbing the spread of misinformation and disinformation. “I feel that we should have enough policies to deter people from engaging in disinformation and misinformation,” she said.
She also emphasized the importance of educating children to recognize and reject violent or misleading content from an early age. Looking ahead, Women in Broadcasting plans to continue its outreach efforts, with new projects and initiatives scheduled for the coming week.
The radio discussion was funded by the Media Foundation for West Africa through its “Countering Hate Speech and Polarising Narratives to Foster Democratic Consolidation and Peace in Ghana” project.
The project seeks to support radio stations to sensitise the public, and contribute to achieving an enhanced culture of tolerance and harmony, peace, and information hygiene which promotes inclusive social and political discourse by discouraging polarising and toxic narratives, particularly in the context of the 2024 elections.
Source: A1Radioonline.com|101.1Mhz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Bolgatanga|
