A law seeks to condition the official guideline to the media that accredit 'gender equality'

Alexander Alfie

06/10/2021 2:50 PM

• Clarín.com

• Politics

Updated 06/10/2021 2:50 PM

Kirchnerism intends to sanction this Thursday the draft Law of Equity in the Representation of Gender in Communication Services, which

has half approval from the Senate

and has the impulse of the deputies Gisella Marziotta and Mónica Macha (Frente de Todos).

One of the most contentious points of the bill is its eighth article, which links

"preference" in the distribution of official advertising

to the media with obtaining a government certificate that proves compliance with four variables, on seven proposals, including

the promotion of the use of inclusive language

, the implementation of permanent training on gender issues and the provision of lactation rooms or childcare centers, among others.

The radical deputy Karina Banfi (Together for Change) raised

Clarín

the need to reformulate this project, since as it is written "it conditions women's opportunities to another right such as freedom of the press."

"There is a legislative error there. We have time to

fix this and avoid the collision of two rights.

And if not, it will be impossible to apply," said Deputy Banfi, secretary of the Bicameral Commission for the Promotion and Monitoring of Audiovisual Communication and the Telecommunications Technologies and Digitization.

On the contrary, the deputy Marziotta defended the possibility of sanctioning this bill, so that there is gender equality in the media.

"

I am very sorry that we end up discussing something that is not in the spirit of the project,"

lamented Marziotta, in dialogue with Radio Miter.

Deputy Marziotta, who

is also the coordinator of the October Group radio stations

, headed by union member Víctor Santa María, added: "There is nothing in the spirit or in any article of the law that absolutely nothing is going to get out of any media." of official advertising.

It is that one of the 15 articles that the bill has

establishes a criterion of preference to distribute the official guideline

: "Communication services operated by privately managed providers who are awarded the certificate of equity in the representation of genders they have preference in the allocation of official advertising carried out by the national public sector, without prejudice to the objective criteria and requirements established by current regulations on the matter ".

This certificate will be delivered to the media by

an agency to be created by the Government

, where all media must register and prove at least four of the following requirements: promoting the use of gender-inclusive language in production and dissemination of communication content; implementation of permanent training on gender issues and egalitarian and non-discriminatory communication; provision of lactation rooms and / or childcare centers.

Personnel selection processes based on gender equity are also established as requirements;

labor inclusion policies with a gender and sexual diversity perspective;

the implementation of protocols for the prevention of workplace and gender violence;

and actions to

support the equitable distribution of care tasks for

working people.

Beyond that aspect, on the distribution of official advertising, the bill establishes that all media will have to promote equity in the representation of genders among their staff, hire "transvestite, transsexual, transgender and intersex people

in a a proportion of not less than one percent (1%)

of its total staff ". 

In addition, if this bill is approved, the Government of Alberto Fernández will create an Enforcement Authority that will control the

equitable distribution of tasks and functions in all media

, promote the use of inclusive language, promote actions to prevent symbolic violence and media

and will apply a sanctions regime

for the media that fail to comply with the provisions of this project.