Somali Media Women Association (SOMWA)
Somali Media Women Association (SOMWA) is an indigenous Local Organization for Women Journalists. Non-profit, non-partial, non- political and voluntary organization based in Baidoa. It was initiated by a group of good wishers and women Journalists from the region in January 2006 to address the issues focusing Somali Women Journalists.
In Somalia, Women are being marginalized on the basis of culture and the women issues receive very little attention within the wider society. The anarchy situation and the civil wars have further aggravated the women situation and resulted in continuous abuse of their basic rights of education and security, and are subjected with rampant brutal violence and rape. Women are also denied to receive their fair share in political power sharing.<-more->
In the aftermath of the prolonged civil wars in Somalia that led to the total destruction, devastation of the country and the unraveling of its society, community organizations emerged to meet with the basic needs for their war-torn society. SOMWA is comprised of dedicated women and intended to use the Media is powerful tool for social change and agenda setting. SOMWA recognizes that gender inequality undermines the effectiveness of development policies in general.
Equal rights and equal opportunities for both, men and women is also a question of human rights. Because of women’s limited access to education and other opportunities of the social life, their productivity compared to that of men remains low.
SOMWA harness the competencies of its committed members to give visibility to issues of concern to the society. SOMWA’s challenge is to ensure that information on specific issues in disseminated widely to enable communities to make informed decisions. The association maintains excellent relations with journalists within the country in the various aspects of the Media be it the electronic and print Media, who are very supportive in the implementation of programs conducted by the association. SOMWA is committed to promoting the rights to and use of information to create a society that has equitable access to opportunities.