The College of Education for Women at the University of Baghdad, representing the Republic of Iraq, participated in the international conference held by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris, under the title: “Beijing + 30 Strategic Goal for Women and Media Evaluation and Moving Forward on the thirtieth anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action” on the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of the Beijing Declaration on the Safety and Protection of Women Journalists, during the period from 20 to 23 January. The conference focused on Annex C of the Beijing Declaration, dedicated to the rights and protection of women journalists around the world, and how to address current challenges, including artificial intelligence and the safety of women journalists. The Iraqi experience was highlighted as a prominent model in the Arab region through the establishment of a digital reporting platform for Iraqi women journalists and the establishment of a specialized team for post-traumatic treatment for victims of violence among women journalists.
The digital reporting platform for Iraqi women journalists was represented at the conference by Dr. Sana Lazem Mohammed, Assistant Dean of the College of Education for Women for Student Affairs and head of this platform, and confirmed in her speech that the College of Education for Women at the University of Baghdad initiated the establishment of a psychological support team dedicated to female journalists from the Department of Psychology. She explained that the team received intensive training in the field of psychosocial assistance, thanks to the support of UNESCO in Iraq.
The Iraqi digital reporting platform received wide praise from the international bodies participating in the conference, as the platform is directly linked to the Iraqi Ministry of Interior and the publishing and media courts of the Supreme Judicial Council to achieve an effective response to protect women journalists. This platform comes as a practical tool to support the safety of women journalists and combat the threats they face by strengthening the mechanisms for reporting these risks and challenges to the official authorities in the country.
The Dean of the College of Education for Women, Assistant Professor Dr. Athmar Al-Shatri, supported the initiative by establishing a psychological support team for women journalists, which comes in line with the objectives of the “United Nations Plan of Action to Protect Journalists and Combat Impunity for the period 2023-2033”. The second phase of this plan focuses on the development of national mechanisms to protect journalists in ten countries, including Iraq, in order to reduce violent crimes against journalists and ensure that perpetrators are held accountable.
This achievement is an affirmation of Iraq’s role in responding to international initiatives related to the protection of journalists, and an embodiment of its commitment to the United Nations plan to promote freedom of expression and protect workers in the country from dangers.
