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CMF MENA ISSUES NEW REPORT ON ?WOMEN'S RIGHTS AND THE ARAB MEDIA?

?Women's Rights and the Arab Media?, a new report by the Centre for Media Freedom in the Middle East and North Africa (CMF MENA), finds that Arab media continue to hinder the advancement of women's rights. The 143-page report covers negative stereotyping in the media, women?s media activism, media coverage of the struggle for women?s rights, and commentaries on the ways in which the media help and hinder women activists in the region. ?Women?s emancipation in the Arab world is one of the most difficult tasks facing the Arab human rights movement. This task is further exacerbated by the Arab media engaging in the censorship and distortion of women?s discourse and image,? says Said Essoulami, executive director of CMF MENA.

The report calls for Arab media establishments to revise their editorial policies, international women's rights and media freedom advocates to intensify contacts with relevant Arab national and regional institutions and Arab human rights advocates to help familiarise the Arab media with the provisions of relevant international conventions and action programmes in favour of women's rights. To ensure that the report serves as an enduring resource for groups campaigning for women's rights in the Arab world, it includes appendices containing relevant human rights documents, a directory of organisations and a list of websites and publications.

The report is available for US$15.00 or 9,95 U.K Pound Sterling. An Arab version will be available in January 2001. For further information, please contact: CMF MENA, 17 Harold Road, London N8 7DE UK, Tel: +44 20 8341 4025, e-mail:
info@cmfmena.org.">#">info@cmfmena.org.