Gender-based violence and the role of the media

The media has a critical role to play in the struggle against gender-based violence

The media has a critical role to play in the struggle against gender-based violence (GBV).

This is according to the Deputy Minister of Communications, Pinky Kekana, who recently led a GBV panel discussion with the Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, John Jeffery.

Discussions were held on the issue of GBV and media ethics, and the panel raised concerns about how the abuse is reported on.

In her opening remarks, the Deputy Minister said patriarchy and misogyny manifest themselves in subtle and persistent ways, and this deprives females of their rightful status in society.

She called on the media to try by all means to protect the survivors of abuse, especially children, from further victimisation when reporting on GBV stories.

Gender-sensitive reporting

“The media needs to be gendersensitive when reporting on cases of GBV. Instead of saying ‘Pinky was allegedly raped by Thabo', why not write ‘Thabo allegedly raped Pinky',” the Deputy Minister pointed out.

Deputy Minister Jeffery asked the National Prosecuting Authority to consider helping the media with guidelines on how to report on issues of GBV.

He asked the media to be careful about how it reports on such issues and to avoid jeopardising court procedures.

“The media must also move beyond reporting about numbers and give more analytical and critical coverage,” he said, adding that focus should be given to the causes and impacts of GBV.

He said studies have shown that women often experience secondary victimisation from the media through insensitive news reporting.

Kubi Rama of Gender Links was also part of the panel and said that the media should be mindful of the questions they ask and suggestions made when writing stories.

She said that when a child has been involved in a violent situation and the media asks questions like ‘where were the parents?' very important media ethics considerations are raised.

“What questions do we ask? Whose stories are we telling?” asked Rama.

Contextualising issues

Representing the media, Kaya FM Editor Portia Kobue said it is important to contextualise issues when reporting stories and that the information should be analysed to explain what abuse really does to those who are

victimised or who survived it.

“How do I frame my story [as a journalist] to allow my viewers or listeners to walk away with something that will have an impact on them in terms of transforming their perceptions of GBV. Always ask yourself,‘What is it that I want my readers to take away from the story that I am writing',” she said.

Latiefa Mobara of the Office of the Press Ombudsman said the media should never mention the names of survivors without their permission.

“Journalists should try their best to not put the survivor at further risk,” she said.

Mobara added that the details of rape should not be glorified, adding that the survivor's privacy should always be respected.

“We must also be careful not to include too many details; that will lead the reader or audiences to speculate about the identity of the survivor.This is particularly essential when the survivor wants to remain anonymous,” she said.

Moving beyond stereotypical images

Mobara stressed that journalists should have an understanding of the legal processes involved and emphasised that journalists should not downplay the severity of the assault. She said that they should use language that describes sexual violence as violence and not as sex.

“We need to move beyond the stereotypical images… stereotypical images of women still dominate the media. Whenever we see a story of a woman, and the story is about GBV, she always has bruises. We definitely need to move away from that kind of imagery. We must not contribute to sexist views and stereotypes and under no circumstance should the journalist suggest that the survivor is to blame.”

Mobara also said journalists should avoid using traumatic language such as “defenceless” or “subjected to a fate worse than death” as these stereotypes suggest that women are gullible and weak.

“We must respect that women are diverse and they deal with the recovery of rape in different ways and they should not be judged,” she pointed out.

Mobara added that rapists should not be referred to as maniacs or monsters as they are no different from any other perpetrators. Journalists must be wary of referring to a perpetrator as “a family man” or using phrases that are likely to create a perception that the perpetrator is unlikely to be a rapist or an abuser.

“Rapists and abusers come in all guises.They are priests, community leaders, politicians, etc.”

Mobara said there is a need to provide information to support the survivors and often media stories do not give enough information about where the survivor or the readers can seek help.

Changing the narrative

Social activist, feminist and Soul City CEO Lebo Ramafoko noted the narrative that needs to be changed is shaped by news, adverts, reality shows and fiction.

“If we are serious about [fighting] GBV, we cannot divorce all these forms of media from the narrative that we are shaping. We cannot talk about GBV without talking about the norms in which it exists. Before there is violence there is a belief about masculinity and femininity, and both of them are shaped by the various forms of media that I am talking about.”

She said media people must own how violent they are before they respond to stories of violence, in the name of what sells.

Ramafoko was concerned that most media content glamourises rape, abuse, misogyny and how women's bodies are viewed.

“I think these conversations need to include content creators and journalists,” she said.

The panel appealed to the media and content creators to be mindful of how they narrate stories and report on cases of abuse.