By Laila Azzeh
Jordan Times, Amman.
AMMAN
HRH Princess Basma on Wednesday said Jordanian women in the media can play an “effective” role in serving women’s causes and leading the sought after change in society.
Addressing a ceremony held by the Arab Media Women Centre (AMWC) to mark Arab Media Women Day, observed annually on March 13, the princess cited issues facing women today, including poverty, wage differences, violence and unemployment, stressing the availability of means to overcome challenges hindering their empowerment.
“Unfortunately, we are living in a time when we confuse what needs to be changed and what should remain as it is, and so we are incapable of striking a balance between our fear of change and what should actually be done to [achieve progress],” she said.
A report recently issued by the Jordanian National Commission for Women (JNCW) showed that Jordanian women ranked first in reading newspapers online among Arab women, constituting 39.9 per cent of total online readers in the Kingdom.
Women’s presence in the audio, visual, print and electronic media has witnessed a major leap during the past years, according to the JNCW.
During Wednesday’s ceremony, held at the Middle East University, AMWC President Mahasen Imam highlighted achievements realised by women in the media sector, noting that the centre includes 700 members and has so far benefited around 4,000 Arab and Jordanian women through training and guidance.
Established in 1999 under the directives of Princess Basma, the centre aims at empowering Arab women journalists by honing their skills and raising their awareness of their rights.
The princess honoured a number of media experts on human rights and women issues at the ceremony.
