SECTOR 2 Part of the problem is also that the media have no clear policies to increase the voice of women in a proactive way. “Journalists think stories on women and women issues do not sell.” As such, they are looking out for scandals which can “hype” the publication. There is some effort, albeit insignificant, to change the tide. A few broadcasters air programmes on women and development. But in a very politically sensitive country, these programmes hardly discuss “far-reaching subjects” like women empowerment, rights and the education of girls. Congo’s Ministry of Women Empowerment and the Integration of Women in Development is in charge of promoting gender balance and women issues. Part of its strategy was the development and implementation of a national gender policy11, which has a communication component. Its products include radio and television debates on women in their different phases of life with a focus on rural women, the girl child and indigenous women; the production of posters, adverts on the daily experience of women and during the commemoration of national and international days; the production of documentaries on the socio-cultural, economic and legal statute of the Congolese women, including the girl child; DVDs on violence against women, inheritance, women empowerment, girl child education, communication on HIV/AIDS and sexually transmissible infections and legal issues. But few women have the opportunity to watch the DVDs. In addition, the high cost of airwaves and weak annual budgetary allocations for sensitisation within the country limits the action of the Ministry towards the larger public. Rural radios, which focus mostly on rural development, have the potential to increase the voice of women because of the nature of the beats they cover. Yet, administrative and financial constraints limit their impact. A rural radio, set up by the Ministry of Agriculture actually broadcasts from Brazzaville, away from the vast majority of the country’s rural world. Because the radio lacks means to produce quality programmes, they are forced to cover and air political stories that are cheap and even profitable to produce. 11 Déclaration de principes sur la liberté d’Expression en Afrique 94 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO 2013