#16DAYS: WOMEN’S VOICES BREAKING THE SILENCE – DAY 7

by Empowerhouse / Birgitte Jallov

16 women working with community radio to strengthen the voices and lives of women in their area

Maru Chavez, Radio Violeta, Mexico

Maru Chavez, co-founder of Mexico city’s feminist women’s radio station RADIO VIOLETA, is featured by EMPOWERHOUSE and me. Maru describes herself as a journalist, feminist and activist for women’s rights.She shares powerful reasons why a women’s radio is so important for ALL areas of women’s lives.

Radio Violeta consciously challenges the traditional ways of the media and aim to transform communication to be more real: real women’s real voices covering all the issues of importance in women’s lives.

Radio Violeta went on air in 2016 as a feminist community radio station in Mexico City. The station has many women involved and broadcasts 24/7. The station has around 150.000 listeners and receive regular feed-back from women listeners stressing the importance to have the station, which covers issues of special importance to women, which is covered no-where else.

The station therefore never has a shortage of community broadcasters – and considers itself, sustainable. Part of the financial sustainability is secured through providing access to organisations who want to run their own programmes. When within the values and principles of the station, they can do so, and they pay for airtime and for rent of the studios. This secures a minimum financial basis along with projects that the station is a part of.

Read more here: https://empowerhouse.dk/maru-chavez/

EMPOWERHOUSE lanuches its contribution to the 16-day campaign by sharing 16 women’s community radio stories: unfolding how each broadcaster has been seeing positive change for women and girls – working intensely to eliminate violence against women and girls.