The role of sengerema community radio in addressing gender-based violence
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Date
2020
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Dar es Salaam
Abstract
The role of sengerema community radio in addressing gender-based violence
Dianus Josephat Ishengoma
MA (Gender Studies)
University of Dar es Salaam, Institute of Development Studies, 2020
This study investigated the role of Sengerema community radio in covering gender- based violence (GBV). Specifically, the study identified ways in which the radio programmers communicate GBV issues to the community, determined the extent to which community members participate in radio GBV dialogues, and evaluated the challenges the community radio faces in disseminating GBV concerns. The study was conducted in Sengerema District Council of Mwanza region in the Lake Zone of Tanzania, and applied both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. The qualitative approach elicited information on GBV concerns and role of community radio in the area through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. The quantitative approach determined the extent to which community members participate in radio during GBV dialogues. The study found that, although Sengerema radio played educative and informative roles to bring about positive changes in people's attitudes towards gender-based violence by raising debates on GBV, empowering women to expose GBV practices, speaking out for the voiceless, and increasing community participation in exposing GVB malpractices, its role in exposing and addressing gender-based violence through its programmers remained largely minimal. With regard to the extent of community participation to the radio programmers, the survey established that only 39.7 percent of the community members participated in radio programmers on GBV. The findings reveal further that men were more likely to participate in the radio programmer by 16 percent than women. The challenges the radio faced included financial constraints, poor co- operation from politicians, and local government leaders. In the meantime, die-hard cultural practices, and the time for airing the radio programmers were found to be unfriendly to the target audience, which in turn limited the effectiveness of the radio in addressing gender-based violence. Based on these findings, the study urges, programmer producers to increase the number of programmers on GBV and consolidate other development programmers with GBV content. The radio management should find more financial resources to boost the radio’s financial capacity and sustainability in addition to engaging local government leaders in radio broadcasting plans. The radio programmer producers should fix their GBV programmers on appropriate time (from 7:00pm to 10:00pm) when most of community members can access those programmers.
Description
Available in print form, East Africana Collection, Dr.Wilbert Chagula Library, class mark (THS EAF HE 8697.95T34.I453)
Keywords
Community radio, Gender based analysis, Violence in women Sengerema, Tanzania
Citation
Ishengoma,D,J (2020)The role of sengerema community radio in addressing gender-based violence,Masters dissertation,University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam.