Who is Women's Media Watch?

Women’s Media Watch Jamaica is a civil society, not-for-profit organization comprising a core volunteer membership of women and a wide network of male and female associates. Founded in 1987, WMW is volunteer-driven and operates a small secretariat with three part-time staff.

WMW Mission Statement

• To be a dynamic organization committed to reducing gender-based violence and promoting gender equity

• To promote a gendered analysis of the media in order to increase awareness of the influence of the media in our lives.

WMW Achievements

WMW collaborates with local and international agencies such as CIDA, CUSO, MATCH, UNIFEM, UNESCO, World Association for Christian Communication (WACC), and the Caribbean Institute of Media and Communications (CARIMAC).

WMW’s achievements have included:

• Conducting over 1,500 training and professional development events locally, regionally and internationally.

• Pioneering a programme of gender training for male leaders.

• Producing training resources and a manual on gender-aware analysis of the media.

• Creating and teaching a university course entitled "Gender, Media and Development".

• Coordinating a national inter-agency campaign addressing violence against women and girls.

• Presenting at international symposia including the NGO Forum, 4th World Conference on Women, Beijing.

• Consulting with the Jamaica Broadcasting Commission to develop gender-aware policy guidelines.

• Hosting Regional Symposia and Conferences on Gender and Communications Policy.

• Coordinating national research and surveys on portrayal of violence in the media.