On 23rd of May 2016 a one –day training workshop on Safety Protocol for the journalists organized by the Somali Media Association (SOMA) was held in Mogadishu to discuss the risks and security challenges the Somali journalists in Somalia are experiencing.
Twenty nine representatives from the various member media owners and Media Directors from the Somali Media Association (SOMA) attended in the Safety Training Workshop which was convened at Al Jazeera Palace Hotel.
The training workshop supported by the International Media Support (IMS)- FOJO discussed options to improve the awareness of SOMA members on the need to develop safety protocols for the media journalists in Somalia, and how to ensure its full adoption.
The Safety workshop has been jointly facilitated by Mr. Abukar Albadri, IMS-Fojo, Mr. Finn Rasmussen, IMS-Fojo and Haron Mwangi, CEO, Media Council of Kenya.
The main themes discussed at the training program focused on defining what safety protocol is and developing a safety system.
By the end of the workshop, a twelve point of media safety protocol has been jointly developed and shared among the SOMA members for making further general review.
The SOMA members are expected to add their contribution before developing final safety protocol for Somalia which will be commonly shared manual for the media staff in Somalia.
The workshops on safety issues is highly significant and needed to mainly increase the journalists’ awareness and skills in dealing with life-threatening situations in conflict areas while covering events in conflict zones.