Manama, Dec. 4. (BNA) – Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Wife of His Majesty the King and President of the Supreme Council for Women (SCW), has called upon all media establishments in Bahrain to continue supporting Bahraini women’s participation in the media field after decades of landmark contributions to the Bahraini media sector.

She said that the media should highlight Bahraini women’s issues, landmark achievements and distinguished status attained during the prosperous era of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa who, she affirmed, allocated special importance to women, facilitated their access to decision-making positions and made them equal partners to their male compatriots in the nation-building process and sustainable development.

Speaking during a ceremony marking the Bahraini Women’s Day 2013, held today at the Bahrain National Amphitheatre, in the presence of scores of officials, HRH Princess Sabeeka asserted that Bahraini media women have, despite obstacles, managed to prove their distinguished capabilities and establish themselves as media pioneers not only in the kingdom but also across the Gulf region thanks to their strong determination and the unlimited support they have received.

She said that the Bahraini Women’s Day 2013, themed: “Women and the Media”, is an opportunity to shed light on the successful march of Bahraini women in the media field and highlight their strides and efforts to develop their performance.

She stressed the need to take care of female media persons through providing them with training so as to be able to cope with the rapidly-developing new media and meet the requirements of the media profession.

HRH Princess Sabeeka concluded her statement by lauding the significant role played by the Information Affairs Authority (IAA) in upgrading women cadres in various media fields, which enabled them to reach higher positions, expressing delight at women’s desire to study the media discipline in local and foreign universities.

Earlier, HRH Princess Sabeeka toured the special expo held on the sidelines of the ceremony and was informed about photos documenting Bahraini women’s work in the fields of press, radio and television.

She also inaugurated the Bahraini Women’s Day 2013 through the social media accounts of the SCW.

HRH Princess Sabeeka also honoured women media work pioneers, as well as the winners of the Media Rally, launched by the SCW, as part of its preparations for this year’s Bahraini Women’s Day.

During the same ceremony, Minister of State for Information Affairs and the Official Spokesperson of the Government Samira Ibrahim bin Rajab delivered a statement in which she expressed sincere thanks and appreciation to HRH Princess Sabeeka and the SCW for their gracious invitation to her to attend the event, praising HRH’s special attention and support to the role of women in the media field.

She highlighted Bahraini women’s strides over history, noting that “Throughout history, Bahraini women have been decision-makers and they continue to be. They have distinguished themselves with leadership traits both at home and in public where they have invariably displayed remarkable aptitudes in the areas of politics, the economy, culture, the media and others.”

“Fortunately for women in Bahrain, they have real political willpower that supports them and they have been an integral component of the community in all walks of life and in all activities without exception,” she added.

Citing Ministry of State for Information Affairs’ statistics, she said that “Bahraini women have a massive presence in the media and communications field and assume a highly active role,” adding that Bahraini women are quite dynamic in the field of the media and communications as an economic segment and own publishing and distribution companies, consultancy firms and outdoors video facilities.

She indicated that “up to this year, 88 radio, Television, theatre and cinema technical production and distribution companies owned by Bahraini women and 134 magazines and bulletins published in Bahrain managed by women.”

A documentary film highlighting Bahraini women’s participation in the media field was also screened.

The Supreme Council for Women (SCW) agreed on 21 February 2013 to make the work of Bahraini women in the field of media the theme for this year’s celebration of Bahraini Women’s Day. The selection of this theme aims at highlighting the achievements of Bahraini women in this important field, shaping the identity and features of media discourse and the available opportunities to improve it.

The SCW has organised a number of events leading to Bahraini Women’s Day, such as the Media Rally Competition launched last May with the aim of focusing on effective media productions with regards to women’s issues. This is set to be achieved through enriching the different tools of media to serve as incentives to improve the media productions on women-related issues, achieving at the same time the objectives of the National Plan of the Strategy for the Advancement of Bahraini Women. Ninety-five participants, men and women, have participated in this competition through the 4 fields of media “written, audio, visual and social”.

As part of the supporting events for Bahraini Women’s Day, the Youth Committee at the Supreme Council for Women (SCW) organized a Youth Forum entitled “Women Social Media” in October 2013 with the objective of empowering the committee members with the required skills to participate actively and positively in society through partnering with institutions and strengthening the relationships with different organizations. The forum covered 3 main topics: Women Social Media, electronic volunteering through social media and investment in this field.

Also, the Supreme Council for Women (SCW) organized a workshop on “Media Practices: Through content, implementation and accountability” on the 25th and 26th June 2013. The workshop aimed to enhance the legal education and to build the capacities and skills among media personnel and to improve the media discourse, utilizing such skills while presenting women’s issues.

Additionally, the Supreme Council for Women (SCW) in cooperation with the German Embassy in Bahrain with the support of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Deutche Welle (DW) Academy, the Media Forum entitled “Women’s Portrayal in Arab Media” was held during the period 13-15th May 2013 at Kempenski Hotel. The forum aimed to establish a media network including women media figures from GCC countries. Deutche Welle Academy is considered a training center specialized in media development and consultations as well as journalism training through enhancing freedom of press and diversity of opinions in different countries of the world.

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BNA 1525 GMT 2013/12/04