Gulf female journalists forum to kick off in Kuwait today

KUWAIT: The Gulf female journalists forum will kick off today in Kuwait. The forum, which is under the organization of the Gulf Press Association (GPA) and the Kuwait Journalists Association (KJA), will include the participation of 30 female journalists from the GCC states and Yemen.
“This forum enters into the list of urgent projects that had already been approved during the association’s general conference held in Manama last May. This was done in order to address the problems that face female journalists while working in the field,” said Gulf Press Association Chairman Turki Al-Sudairi.
“We were particularly keen on limiting participation to female journalists; columnist and administrators were excluded in the review. This is not to underestimate the importance of their work but to focus on journalist-related issues,” said Al-Sudairi.
Al-Sudairi lauded Kuwait's support of GCC press and journalistic development, affirming that the forum's proposals and recommendations would be reviewed by the GPA at a later stage to further support the careers of female journalists.
“In GCC states and in Yemen, there are specialties that we respect in the same way that we respect traditions and customs that affect the work of female journalists working in field who have to deal with various segments of the society,” said Gulf Press Association Secretary General Nasser Mohammed Al-Othman.
Al-Othman mentioned that, “Societal customs and traditions cannot be bypassed or abolished, but what can be done is to ease the difficulties and obstacles that face our daughters who choose to work in the field of journalism.”
Al-Othman noted to the many the very difficulties encountered by the Kuwaiti Journalist Association, the GPA and the Kuwaiti Ministry of Information in preparing for this event were a result of the nature of conservative Gulf societies.
The event will be held with the attendance of Kuwait’s Minister of Information and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Mohammad Al-Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah.
The Chairman of the Kuwait Journalists Association Ahmed Behbehani stressed upon the importance of the event in further developing and shaping the role of women journalists in the region, hoping that the event would address obstacles that are specific to the GCC and Yemen.