Haiti Press Network - 16/01/02 and 17/01/02

In Haiti, to be a practicing female journalist is frustrating and dangerous. Some of them, who were victims of intimidation and discrimination, formed the Association of Haitian Women Journalists, an organisation which supports women who are confronted with a variety of problems in the exercise of their profession.

The adventure began in June 1997 when four women journalists, Francine Mehus, Nirva Massillon, Yolette Mengual and Kettia Marcellus, met and founded the organisation. The AMIFEHJ was formally established in October 1999. Today, it is part of the National Union of Haitian Media Workers (SNTPH) which itself is affiliated to the International Federation of the Journalists. The AMIFEHJ has around 25 members in Port-au-Prince and about thirty in the provinces.

The AMIFEHJ offers its members information and training seminars, monthly meetings monthly, and discussions where women can share their experiences. It also intervenes with employers who pose problems for women journalists, because, according to Maryse Balthazar, women are the victims of blatant discrimination in the news media. "I have made history by becoming the news director for a media outfit in the capital, and the journalists did not want to work for me simply because I am a woman. This behaviour is typical of Haitian men," said Balthazar.

Even when equally competent, the man will always have an unquestioned advantage over the woman. "Discrimination is found in particular in the rates of pay, in decisions on promotions to higher positions and to management, and that's not to mention the sexual harassment," she noted.

It's a serious struggle. Behaviour must change, mentalities evolve, and perceptions of women must be modified. "We work on the training and the development of women so that they can take managerial positions and pay special attention to certain problems, i.e., to the disparities which exist between men and women in the professional environment," states Balthazar.

The AMIFEHJ not only concentrates its efforts on the work context, it also looks into the lives of women in rural areas, and into the perceptions which women have of themselves. "Women suffer acts of physical and psychological violence on all levels. Violence does not have a class, it is a problem which concerns all of society," she continued.

The AMIFEHJ faces serious financial problems. The Haitian State does not make any financial contribution, and the members themselves pay an affiliation of 150 gourdes (US$5) per year. The association must count on international backers to finance the organisation.

For four years now, the AMIFEHJ has defended female journalists who have become victims of abuse, hostility or discrimination at their workplaces. But the problem is more serious than that. It's necessary to change the attitude of the population that lacks confidence in journalists, and, in particular, to improve the training given by Haitian schools of journalism.

According to Maryse Balthazar, the problems which journalists face are as numerous as they are profound. "Firstly, it is necessary that we have more competent schools. The students need a better academic and practical education. Then, there is the question of the wages which are quite simply ridiculous. The media don't mind taking on bad, incompetent journalists, whom they can pay badly More seriously, the low wages work against the reporters' independence of mind. It is absolutely essential to raise rates of pay, because nobody is safe from corruption, for example, by altering news in return for money from another source in order to supplement the monthly income," explained Balthazar.

For the majority of Haitian journalists, the concepts of rights and ethics, seem to be entirely absent in day-today practice. It is one of the reasons why the population lacks respect for the profession. "People just see journalists as troublemakers, as voyeurs who try to look into citizens' private lives."

It's difficult for women to make inroads into the news media. They have great difficulty in breaking into the field. "Parents discourage girls who want to enter the profession. They say that it's badly paid, dangerous and poorly thought of. They also face a lot of other prejudices or are the victims of discrimination. In spite of all this, women have made some advances in recent years," noted Balthazar with some pleasure.

She pointed out that the climate of insecurity in which journalists must work also deters people from entering the profession. "The threats must stop. Freedom of the press implies being able to criticise the actions of the government and to highlight the good things. The government must admit its errors so that the country has the chance to move forward. But here, in Haiti, we don't permit ourselves to blame the government, because we would be accused of being traitors or of working for the opposition. Haitian journalists can be objective in their news reporting," said Balthazar.

AMIFEHJ's projects

Before the end of her contract, in February 2003, Maryse Balthazar wants the AMIFEHJ to have developed more links with foreign organisations concerned with the defence of women's rights. She is currently in discussion with Women in Film in Television, an international organisation which brings together women working in the fields of television and the arts, and she could become its first representative in the Caribbean. Balthazar intends to double her staff, and her greatest success would be to pass on a well-organised, well-structured and financially independent institution. Finding a permanent office would be a first step in the right direction, and some sources of funding would guarantee success.