Abstract:
Hum'"an rights are inherent to all human beings, thus human rights are women's rights.
However, women's civil and political rights have been compromised by their economic
status, social and cultural limitations placed on their activities. In Ethiopia, women are
• disadvantaged due to their sex; still they are subjected to various forms of their rights
•
Abstract
violence, most notablym rural areas. Therefore, it is compulsory promoting and protecting
women's human right to create societal awareness through the existing media. Because
media plays vital roles in introducing citizen's right and creating awareness on the
promotion and respect of women's human right. In this regard, previously conducted
researches both in Ethiopia and abroad were attempted to look in to the role of media on the
promotion of human rights. However, no research report specifically focuses on women's
human right promotion.
Therefore, this study conducted to study the role of media in the promotion of women's rights
with }eference to Amahara Mass Media Agency (AMMA). The research questions were
designed to assess the view of journalists, challenges, strategies or conceptual tools,
contents and the coverage time of the AMMA programs to promote women's human
rights. The study applies case study as a research design and qualitative methodological
approach with purposive sampling method. The data sources were semi-structured interview
and focus group discussion of the AMMA journalists (primary) and recorded audio-visual
radio and TV programs and "Bekur" newspaper (secondary). As a result by this study, it was
found that mosi journalists have awareness and motivation problem to promote women's
human right; the AMMA has no any planned strategy or conceptual tools that are
consistently employed to promote women human rights most commonly magazine format is
, used; it has not been giving enough media coverage, as a result women's issue promotion is
not given priority. This is due to the incompetence or lack of consciousness of journalists on
"the women's human rights, traditional and cultural attitudes of the public including the
journalist and other challenges to promote women's human rights. In general, it is found that
AMMA has not working efficiently on the promotion of women's human rights. Thus it has to
improve the promotion style, content, coverage time and awareness of the professionals on
women's human rights to make women's human rights promotion effective in AMMA.