Press Release

A Male Journalist in Chad Takes Lead in Gender Programs

Annick Nsabimana/Internews Journalist Nara Hantabou interviews a fistula suvrivor for a radio program on the discrimination that these women face.

(July 7, 2009) “I have been working for more than 15 years in journalism,” says Nara Hantabou. “When the director of the radio station decided to choose me for this training course, my colleagues laughed at me. I was also reluctant to go. Out of pure ignorance!”

Hantabou, who works for FM Liberté in N’Djamena, took part in an eight-day training course conducted by Internews on reporting on gender-based violence (GBV). A few days after completing his training, he was able to put his newly acquired skills into practice. Through the programs he now produces, the listeners of FM Liberté have become better informed on GBV issues in Chad, including the medical and legal options for dealing with them.

“The training actually enabled me to become more aware of the situation of women in Chad as a journalist, but also as a man,” recalls Hantabou. “Now, I will take the lead in gender programs because I discovered the suffering of women. I think that I can also help my colleagues to change their attitude to women.”

Hantabou recently produced a feature on the discrimination suffered by women with fistulas. This is a condition where a fistula or hole develops between the rectum and the vagina or the bladder, causing uncontrollable secretions of bodily waste. Fistulas are curable with proper treatment.

Hantabou reported that, according to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), about 390 cases of fistula are reported in Chad every year. The real figure is likely much higher because of low reporting rates due to the social stigma attached to the disease. According to Mahamat Koyarta, a Chadian doctor interviewed for Hantabou’s program, three main factors contribute to this illness: early marriage, childbirth without qualified medical assistance and female genital mutilation.

The women most affected are between 16 and 18 years of age, with the highest prevalence amongst the economically underprivileged. About a third of women sufferers are driven out of the home or divorced by their husbands.

“I fell sick when I was 14 as a result of a difficult birth,” a survivor told Hantabou. “The child I bore died but I survived. My husband and my family abandoned me and I spent two years in bed. One day, my aunt took me to the doctor. Now I am safe.”

Internews launched its project, “A voice for Chadian women through community radio” in N’Djamena in 2008. The project trains radio journalists with the goal of enhancing citizens’ access to locally produced and broadcast programs on GBV. The training includes how to integrate gender issues across the whole range of programming, and raises journalists’ awareness of women’s rights issues in remote communities in Chad.

In less than a year, Internews has trained 36 journalists from almost all community radio stations in Southern, Western and Eastern Chad on a topic that requires much tact, knowledge and experience, especially for male reporters.

The program is funded by grants from the US Department of State, UNHCR, Equal Access, Jewish World Watch, and the AJG Foundation. The project, "A voice for Chadian women through community radio," is funded by DRL.

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