Albania: Media sensitization training

On Saturday, May 29, 2010 the third and final generation of SWAN groups participated in a training on media sensitizations in Tirana, Albania. Genci and Enkelejda of Aksion Plus were gracious hosts in their beautiful city. Representative from sex work projects from Hungary, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Albania, Montenegro and Latvia participated in the one-day event which also brought together sex workers from Hungary, Albania and Bulgaria.

The sensitization was offered by Gabor Miklosi, a Hungarian journalist working for SWAN, Katerina Partinova of the Macedonian group HOPS and Anna-Louise Crago, a sex workers’ rights consultant for SWAN. This combination proved to be very successful.

Gabor’s practical suggestions were followed by a rich exchange in which participants were able to better understand the media’s perspective on covering sex work issues. Katerina’s experiences with both ethical breaches in media coverage of sex work issues in Macedonia and with success of sensitization seminars resonated a great deal with participants.

Sex work groups involved in the seminar had faced many of the same problems with media coverage as in other SWAN countries (see “Issues with Media Coverage for SWAN Members” in this issue). Nonetheless, they left seeming optimistic that sensitization seminars, though they might not change the world over night, could possible make small but significant advances.

Aksion Plus http://www.aksionplus.net/
Contact person: Genci Mucolarri gencaxionp@albmail.com

SWAN-TV

SWAN TV ARCHIVE »

Quotes of the Month

“We had nowhere to sleep. There were two wooden benches. We sat on the floor, it was wet, people would urinate as we were sitting there, like cattle. I didn’t have any air to breathe. When I asked for a doctor, they said there is nothing wrong with you. When I remember that image, I get very upset. Terribly.”