Journalists and Paralegals get equipped on Freedom of Expression and Freedom of Assembly

Journalists and Paralegals get equipped on Freedom of Expression and Freedom of Assembly

The Legal and Human Rights Centre has under its UHAKIKI project organized a three days training workshop to journalists based in community radios together with paralegals from 14 regions of mainland Tanzania to complement its advocacy campaign on Freedom of Expression and Freedom of Assembly in the country.

The training workshop was convened in Dodoma from May 30, 2017 to June 1, 2017 bringing under one roof participants from Kigoma, Arusha, Manyara, Mbeya, Mara, Shinyanga, Simiyu, Dar es Salaam, Morogoro, Dodoma, Ruvuma, Mtwara, Lindi and Tabora. The workshop aimed at intra alia empowering Journalists from Community Radios to effectively engage LHRC paralegals within and outside of Dar es Salaam specifically on Freedom of Expression and Freedom of Assembly; building the knowledge-base for community radio stations/presenters/producers to improve their reporting of and increase coverage of issues relating to the Freedom of Expression and the Freedom of Assembly as well as build networks between community radio journalists and paralegals and regional press clubs representatives.

In the course of the training participants were empowered with awareness on importance of Human Rights specifically Freedom of Expression and Freedom of Assembly; the role of media in protection of human rights; barriers to reporting; human rights violations; reporting on human rights and how to prepare human rights related programs.

All the facilitators counting Mr. Neville Meena a representative from Tanzania Editors Forum (TEF), Mr. Paul Mallimbo from the Media Council of Tanzania (MCT) as well as the LHRC’s Mr. Raymond Kanegene, Ms. Happiness Michael and Ms. Renatha Seleman echoed the significance of promoting freedom of expression and freedom of assembly in social-economic and political development of the country. In chorus the facilitators made a call for journalists, human rights monitors and paralegals to make effective use of available space in community radios in creating awareness to the people on the two rights and in condemning human rights violations.

To top up, the lead facilitator Ms. Stacy Hilliard (UHAKIKI Project’s Communication Adviser) sharpened participants’ skills on how best to report on Human Rights before reminding them on the status of the two rights in the country which has currently been poor according to both national and international reports. Stacy called for journalist to effectively work together with paralegals and human rights monitors to guarantee Freedom of Expression and Freedom of Assembly in their communities.

Amid the workshop, participants made a request to the Legal and Human Rights Centre and other stakeholders to double efforts in providing them with regular trainings especially security trainings and trainings on specific Human Rights topics.

The Civil and Political Rights Tracking project, commonly known as UHAKIKI, aims to improve the protection and promotion of civil and political rights in Tanzania.