Status of Faith-based Media and Regulation of Religious Discourse on Women in the Media in Mali, Senegal, Niger and Côte d'Ivoire - A Lack of Framework Increases Gender Inequality

"In relation to their duties, they [religious media] must not discriminate when processing information, stigmatize other religions, be a tool of propaganda, not stir up ethnic or religious hatred and have to observe strict neutrality."

This study explores the statutory and regulatory framework governing faith-based media, as well as the regulation of religious discourse in relation to gender and religious extremism in four countries: Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Niger, and Senegal. It seeks to support the relationship between the media, civil society organisations (CSOs), and religious leaders in an effort to ensure a more gendered media environment, as well as to contribute to strengthening the regulation of religious discourse to foster tolerance between religions and to strengthen social harmony.

The study is part of the Panos Institute West Africa project "Women: Occupy the Media!" being implemented in Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Niger, and Senegal. The project works to promote the gender dimension in the media, and more specifically, the production and circulation of media content that contributes to informing opinions on women's rights and to broadening and influencing public debate on and in favour of women's equality and their rights.

As explained in the report, "Today, religious media occupies an important place in the media landscape of the countries surveyed even if their legal status can be differentiated. All television channels are full of Muslim and Christian religious programs regardless of the faith-based or non-faith-based nature of the media. Likewise, preachers are now among the most prominent hosts in the media. No single action to promote women's rights in relation to the media can ignore the massive presence of religious discourse in the media."

In this context, the study seeks to answer two main questions:

1. What is the legal and regulatory framework on religious media? In other words, does the legislation governing the media allow the establishment of faith-based media? If so, are those rules observed in practice or not, and what are the possible consequences? Ultimately, what is the most suitable option between formal recognition of faith-based media and their absolute ban?
2. Are there are effective regulatory frameworks of religious discourse in the media in the countries involved in the study. In other words, is religious discourse legally protected? Are the existing regulation and self-regulation mechanisms of the media effective enough to regulate religious discourse in a way that maintains public order and social harmony on the one hand, and promotes gender equality on the other? In this study, the regulation of religious discourse in the media refers to "the set of rules and mechanisms that can be used to regulate religious discourse in order to avoid disrupting social harmony and to promote gender equality."

To carry out the research, the researchers conducted a literature review and a series of interviews with stakeholders using a questionnaire. The report is divided into four main sections outlining the results for each of the four countries. Each section has been prepared by a different author and includes a discussion on the status of faith-based media, the regulations around discourse in the media, and recommendations for the state, the media and media organisations, and for civil society.

Overall, the findings show that the media regulations affecting faith-based media differ from country to country. With regard to the regulations around religious discourse, it was found that the existing regulatory mechanisms in all countries are insufficient. In Côte d'Ivoire, specifically, faith-based media are formally recognised by law. Despite the limited compliance by media organisations with regulations and despite the weak regulatory bodies and mechanisms, the regulation of religious discourse is not yet seen as a real challenge to the promotion of a gendered media environment or as a threat to social harmony. The situation is more problematic in other countries, such as Mali, where faith-based media are recognised by law, but the legal specifications remain unenforced. Religious discourse, therefore, appears to be unregulated in faith-based media and media in general.

In Niger, faith-based media are forbidden by law, yet they still exist in some form in practice. Religious discourse is regulated to a limited extent despite the fact that the High Council of Communication has been, at times, proactive by imposing sanctions. Other potential regulatory mechanisms and bodies of religious discourse seem limited. In Senegal, the regulations don't make specific reference to faith-based media. The legal framework for regulating religious discourse, as in other countries, has weaknesses, and regulatory bodies and mechanisms have shown limited capacity in their ability to regulate religious discourse.

Across all countries, the lack of regulation of religious discourse appears to affect the issue of gender equality more than it does the issue of maintaining social harmony. While Côte d'Ivoire has made some progress in this area, the situation remains more problematic in other countries. Legislation on the media in general, and media specifications in particular, are poorly gendered. In addition, the limited representation of women in regulatory bodies does not allow them to exert much influence in support of pro-gender regulations.

Based on the study observations, the report concludes with a number of overarching recommendations. For example:

• States and institutional regulators should authorise the creation of faith-based media in Senegal and Niger by revising the laws governing the media. They should strengthen the control of faith-based media in Côte d'Ivoire and Mali, in particular, by increasing the material, human, and financial resources of institutional regulators. They should also: ensure the monitoring of religious fanaticism; strengthen the representation of religious denominations in regulatory bodies; and create a prize for media that promote women and social cohesion within the framework of religious programmes.
• The media should, for example: advocate for formal recognition of faith-based media for a cleaner media landscape and fair competition; encourage media to create religious desks for better control of the content of religious information; and encourage the participation of women journalists in the production of religious programmes.
• Civil society, especially women's rights organisations, should, for example, conduct advocacy for the recognition of faith-based media and for strengthening media accountability. They should also advocate for the recognition of civil society's right to control the content of religious programmes.