MY WORK IN THE MEDIA GROUPS

Journalists of Ajara after the working meeting.
Batumi, September 14, 2006

Lali NIKOLAVA:
On September 23, I held a seminar in Zugdidi for the journalists based in Samegrelo region. It coincided with the meeting of Women and Politics working group with women candidates, organized by the regional trainers. It was the opportunity for the journalists to talk to women candidates running for different Sakrebulo, to evaluate their possibilities and the level of their preparation. TV company Odishi and journalists of Zugdidi radio station Atinati participated in the meeting.

32 candidates from different districts of Samegrelo came to the meeting. They spoke on their plans and shared pre-elections considerations. The leader of Way of Georgia political party, Salome Zourabichvili also visited the meeting along with the regional representatives of the party. She supported women’s movement and said that many changes should appear in the country from this point of view.

Nana LOMIDZE:
I organized the seminar in Gurjaani, Kakheti region, on September 22. Regional trainers of the Coalition Jilda Nibladze and Tsismari Mtavarashvili actively worked with journalists. For the cooperation I chose Kakhetis Khma, a popular newspaper in the region. Maya Mamulashvili, the editor of the newspaper participated in many seminars of the Coalition. She is a qualified journalist and is very experienced in gender issues. Journalist Nona Chabashvili is the writer of the newspaper’s Woman and Politics column. We also met women candidates, informed them about the media.ge website with published journalism competition announcements there. The following meetings took place in Tbilisi, at the association of women journalists. In pre-elections period seminar participants wrote series of articles about women candidates.

I held the second seminar in Gori, Shida Kartli region, on September 26. Regional trainers of the Coalition Maya Julakidze and Veriko Bitsadze worked there; besides well-known journalists, new young reporters, total of 10 persons, participated in the event. Discussion with the candidates and the conversation about the media’s role in the elections took place. Journalists expressed their readiness to help women candidates. Unfortunately, women candidates do not realize the importance of the media during the elections and after they are over. This is a separate issue, that needs to be comprehended properly. I think that it is time to create regional media groups (at least small ones), that will work with the Coalition to increase the capacity of its regional trainers. There is such resource in the regions.

Tinatin MOSIASHVILI:
Within the frameworks of our project, I held 3 meetings in Mtskheta-Mtianeti and Kvemo Kartli regions.

The first meeting was held in Rustavi together with the regional trainers for Kvemo Kartli and representatives of the Woman and Politics group. WE met women candidates from Rustavi and Gardabani, and with journalists, and announced our competition for them.

The second meeting took place in Bolnisi. Irma Zurabishvili, editor-in-chief of Akhali Bolnisi newspaper was the coordinator of the meeting. 20 persons, mostly journalists, took part in the event together with teachers, NGO sector representatives and youth center members.

Tamar Maisuradze, regional trainer in Mtskheta helped to organize the meeting. Several groups of the Coalition, Woman and Media, Woman and Economy and Woman and Health worked together at the meeting. We met women candidates, authorities and NGO activists of Mtskheta, Dusheti, Stepantsminda districts, and journalists. The information was released via radio and TV. 

Despite Mtskheta-Mtianeti and Kvemo Kartli are located close to Tbilsi, the situation there significantly differs from that in the Georgian capital. There are many active women in Mtskheta-Mtianeti, many of them ran for the elections, and later it turned out that the region became one of the leaders considering the number of elected women. But there are only two newspapers published there, and both are in Mtskheta: one is of regional importance and the other one is for the district. There were no newspapers published in pre-elections period in Tianeti, Dusheti, Akhalgori and Stepantsminda districts.

In contrast to this region, almost all districts of Kvemo Kartli have their own newspapers. They are published in Georgian and Azerbaijani languages. For example, in Bolnisi, there are two newspapers (one of which is an independent). There is a radio station and a TV channel there. However, the number of women in politics is very low in this region, and a very limited number of women got to the local Sakrebulos (1-2 women in an average, Tetritskaro district is an exception: 7 women elected here). Gender rights and women’s participation in politics is not among the popular topics for the local reporters.

Diana MIKADZE:
On September 23, I held a seminar in Akhaltsikhe, Samtskhe-Javakheti region of Georgia. Alike others, we organized a meeting of journalists and women candidates there. Regional trainers of the Coalition helped me to organize the event. Local journalists expressed their interest in the Coalition and in the issues it works at. There were some of those who never heard about gender equality before. 19 journalists, women candidates, and local NGO members took part in the seminar. The meeting was covered by Samkhretis Karibche newspaper and by the local TV channel. The newspaper article was later sent to the competition, it won the third award.

Information collected and edited by
Galina PETRIASHVILI
(text, photo)

RURAL PROBLEMS IN GENDER PERSPECTIVE

Maya Asakashvili
photo by Galina Petriashvili

November 20, 2006

The world experience has proven: the more there are women at the state structures, the more democratic are the decisions, the better is legislation, the more expedient are budgetary expenses, the more ordered healthcare and education systems are.

In view of the local self-governance elections, Woman and Economy working group of the Coalition of Women’s NGOs with the active support of regional coordinators, has implemented the project of Parallel Campaign in Kakheti and Mtskheta-Mtianeti regions.

Within the frameworks of the project, actions aimed at women’s active involvement in elections and pre-elections processes were implemented.

Meetings with women’s groups and seminars on protection of social-economic rights and employment in rural areas were held.

A few days prior to the elections, well-organized information and advertising campaigns (so-called Rush Day) were held to support women candidates in Kakheti and Mtskheta-Mtianeti (on October 1 in Mtskheta, Dusheti and Gurjaani)

While implementing the project, members of the Woman and Economy unveiled the following main issues:

• At the village level, there is no assistance to the development of non-governmental organizations.
• It is very difficult to hold a dialog with local authorities.
• Cooperation with the local authorities is formal only.
• Rural residents have practically no information on the current social-economic projects implemented in the country; they do not know about the opportunity to use insurance policies for the poor and employing opportunities. Small part of information can be received only through TV programs, and hence local population fails to get qualified response to their particular questions.
• Local budgetary expenses are nontransparent; it is difficult to hold monitoring
• Lack of finances, insufficient level of transfers.
• Nobody visits the villages, information is spread by TV, and thus alike activities are very significant.
• Women candidates had no opportunity to hold pre-elections campaign. The main emphasis is placed on men.
• In villages, only men own businesses (however, there are certain exceptions). Men need the business for their personal self-affirmation.

At the present stage, the members of Woman and Economy group together with the local regional representatives of the Coalition work at the preparation for the pre-elections campaign results monitoring.

JOURNALISTS VISIT THE REGIONS

Prepared by:
Galina Petriashvili (text, photo)
Eka Bakhutashvili
Maya Asakashvili

November 16, 2006

In September, working groups of the Coalition of Women’s NGOs held seminars on preparation for the elections. Mass-media representatives were actively involved in the work. The Coalition’s Media Group works with the journalists.

Batumi

The first seminar for journalists was held in Ajara on September 14. The seminar was lead by Galina Petriashvili, the Coalition’s media-group member and Zeinab Filippova, reporter of the Ajara Radio. The seminar was also attended by Svetlana Logua, the Coalition’s regional trainer in Ajara.

Chokhatauri

On Spetember 16, education center of Chokhatauri town hosted seminar for journalists working in the region within the frameworks of the Coalition’s Parallel Campaign. Eka Bakhutashvili, member of the Coalition’s media group and the vice-president of Madli women’s resource center and Maya Gogoladze, regional trainer in Guria organized the event.

Maya Gogoladze told the seminar participants about the details of the Parallel Campaign and the difficulties it faced due to the change of elections date.

In her presentation, Eka Bakhutashvili told the reporters why the Coalition is interested in bringing more women to power.

Kutaisi

The seminar for Kutaisi-based journalists, which was held by Maya Asakashvili, the member of the Coalition’s media group, coincided the meeting with local women candidates, held by the Coalition’s Woman and Politics working group members Roza Kukhalashvili and Manana Mebuke. The Coalition’s regional trainers were the organizers of the meeting. Kutaisi Media House hosted the event; among the participants there were voters, candidates and journalists. 

Seminar participants discussed the problems that hamper the development of women’s political careers. Low level of parties’ organizational policy and the absence of internal staff program was acknowledged as one of the main obstacles for women politicians. Besides this, lack of corresponding strategy and non-transparency of party lists was considered by the meeting participants.

Women candidates presented to the seminar their own programs and discussed the perspective of increasing the number of women in politics.

The programs of women candidates are generally focused on the solution of social problems, such as transport, water, rates, power supply. The more women are elected to Sakrebulo, the less aggressive this body will be. It was voiced at the meeting that women are more careful and pragmatic and less corrupt.

According to one of the candidates, Nato Katamadze, lack of funds is the main factor that hampers women to get to power, as pre-election campaign considers significant spending.

Male participants of the seminar did not agree with the assertion on smaller level of corruption among women; they named women’s lack of activeness as the reason behind it.

Rush Day in Batumi

The action was organized by Svetlana Logua, the Coalition’s regional trainer in Ajara and Zeinab Filippova, reporter of the Ajara Radio.

Photo by Nino Gabunia

September 24. Akhaltsikhe meeting with the voters and women candidates was held at an Armenian secondary school. The meeting was organized by Woman and Peacebuilding working group of the Coalition of NGOs.

Photo by Tsovinar Nazarova

In September, seminars on preparations for the elections are being held in the regions of Georgia. Local medias are actively involved in the work of the seminars. The Coalition’s media group works with journalists. The first seminar for journalists was held in Ajara on September 14, it was held by the media group representative Galina Petriashvili and by the reporter of Ajara Radio Zeinab Filippova. The Coalition’s regional trainer Svetlana Logua also attended the event.

The purpose of the seminar was to attract the media and to turn it into an associate and a supporter of promotion of women. The seminar was also aimed at activation of gender equality and women’s status issues on the background of upcoming elections.

According to the media-group’s project, at the final stage of working special competition unveiling the best journalistic pieces will be conducted; the most active journalists will be awarded.

Photos: September 14 seminar