Rights Reporting: Two Cameroonians Amongst World Champions

Two female Cameroonian journalists, Comfort Mussa of Global Press Journal & Radio France International (RFI English), and Chi Yvonne Leina of Equinoxe television & World Pulse are amongst some 15 journalists worldwide who have been nominated, selected by an organization; Women Deliver, for championing the health and rights of girls and women through their reporting.

Comfort Mussa

The list of the nominees which according to Women Deliver is meant to celebrate the International Women’s Day was made public on March 7, 2015.

The 15 nominees according to Women Deliver, are being honoured for their consistent and game-changing coverage of maternal, sexual and reproductive health and rights issues at global and national levels.

The 15 nominees are women and men from 12 countries across Africa, Asia and North and South America.

They have used their voices and media platforms to draw attention to issues like female genital mutilation in Liberia, Cameroon and Tanzania; women’s rights abuses in India and Pakistan; teenage pregnancy in Uganda; contraceptive access in the Philippines and Senegal; and sexual exploitation around the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

“Our honourees aren’t just reporting from behind a desk-they are on the front lines and their coverage saves lives. They go far beyond what many would do, even putting their own lives in harm’s way, because women’s stories matter to all of us”, says Women Deliver CEO, Katja Iversen.

“This is no easy feat, which is why we are proud to recognize them today. Their passion for and dedication to improving girls’ and women’s lives is evident in every article they write and every story they tell”, Mr. Katja adds.

The 15 were selected from a pool of more than 100 nominations submitted by Women Deliver’s partners. An internal review board evaluated the candidates based on their dedication to girls’ and women’s health and rights, the quality and consistency of their reporting on the issues and the impact of their work in the newsroom and beyond.

Chi Yvonne Leina

One of the Cameroonian honourees, Comfort Mussa is a radio host, blogger and multi-award winning journalist with a keen eye for stories that exposes social injustice. She uses her voice to make others’ voice louder.

She hosts a weekly radio broadcast, 100% Jeune Live, where she leads young people in open and vibrant conversations about sexual and reproductive health.

As reporter for the Global Press Journal, Comfort writes about many sensitive topics including the risk of sexual harassment for mentally disabled women in Cameroon and the ripple effect of anti-child labour laws on middle class women.

Comfort also founded SisterSpeak237, a blog where girls and women can openly discuss taboo topics, such as sexual harassment on public transportation.

Meanwhile, Chi Yvonne Leina breaks the silence around harmful cultural practices and sexual violence. In 2011, Leina uncovered the truth about breast ironing in Cameroon.

Her reporting generated local and international attention and helped encourage the Cameroonian government to partner with her Gender Danger campaign to end the harmful practice.

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