In early November, IFES supported two winners of the annual journalist competition “The Honor of Profession 2023” in a study trip to Prague, Czech Republic where they networked and exchanged good practices in gender-sensitive journalism with international peers.The journalists were recognized in the category “The Best Material on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality,” a category initially created in 2022 by IFES’ partner, Women in the Media. During the Prague study visit, the winning journalists met with local media outlets, representatives of national nongovernmental organizations, and gender researchers.

During their visit, the journalists addressed the following topics:

• Intolerance and xenophobia;
• Lack of women representation in leadership positions and decision-making processes;
• Sexualization, objectification, and online violence against women;
• Gender pay gaps and underestimated domestic work of women; and,
• Demonization of feminist movements and processes to establish gender equality.

“When you have been writing about gender inequality in your country for many years, it seems that Ukraine has the biggest problems,” noted one of the study trip participants. “However, it is very important to look at the experiences of other countries. In some ways, we are behind, but we have also managed to overcome some challenges and we are moving forward. The exchange of professional experience with international peers who face similar problems is invaluable. The trip to the Czech Republic allowed us to hear voices of other women and understand how to avoid common mistakes.”

IFES Ukraine will continue strengthening journalists’ capacity to report in a gender-sensitive manner and promoting equal opportunities in the media.