1 Gender and Media Progress Study Coverage of Gender Based Violence in Southern Africa Presented by Arthur Okwemba 14 th October, 2010, South Africa

INTRODUCTION “Do women in Malawi (and the SADC region) expect to be battered and abused? Is it a culturally acceptable practice? Should battery and abuse cause death before it is newsworthy? Do we wait until a woman is bleeding and dying before we report on it? At the end of the day, if politics is more important than the life of a person, then there are problems.” Robert Jamieson, media consultant, during the consultative meeting in Blantyre, Malawi.

GBV definition GBV includes physical violence, emotional violence, sexual violence and economic violence. Most of the time against vulnerable groups Physical violence by intimate partners Physical violence by relatives Violence at the workplace Violence in social places Violence in institutions of learning

What is the cost of GBV Missed work hours Cost of treatment of injuries Treatment of STDs Miscarriages Children become violent if parents are violent

GENDER AND MEDIA PROGRESS STUDY The GMPS sought to: Obtain baseline data on coverage of gender, gender based violence, and HIV and AIDS and, in the media in 14 SADC countries. Use the data generated as an overall assessment of the impact of the policy, advocacy and training work on HIV and AIDS and gender. Use this data as the basis for the roll out of gender policies and backstopping for gender, HIV and AIDS policies. The study was part of a regional survey that covered 14 countries in Southern Africa and news items. 6

Proportion given to GBV stories

Why the low coverage of GBV They do not sell compared to politics and business Sources not willing to talk No resources to cover GBV stories Media does not consider GBV a serious issue Media personnel do not go out to look for GBV stories

Impact of Gender stereotypes Media believe women deserve what happens to them, hence no need of coverage. Media personnel perpetrators of gender violence

When men lead from the front on GBV

Coverage high during 16 days Coverage of GBV increases during the 16 days of activism against gender violence

Which GBV topic gets covered most

Who speaks on GBV

Why more men speaking Media is more likely to speak to a man on issues which women are even better placed to comment on. More of the men speaking on these issues might be offering negative views. Media often blame women of what happens to them, hence the fear of women to talk to them. Male dominated media and in society where men dominate positions of authority; the media is more likely to seek views of men on GBV issues than women views.

Who speaks on what

Getting It Right

Function of the sources

Why I cannot cover a raped woman “How do you get a woman who has been raped to tell you matters concerning the vagina. That is why women journalists should be the ones interviewing victims of sexual violence,” said a male reporter in Tanzania. But the question is: What happens when there is no woman journalist in the newsroom to do the reporting?

Who reports GBV

What is the worry? Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation-TV’s Bestina Magutu said she thinks that GMPS findings shows that the majority of those who speak to women on GBV are male reporters are disturbing: “We might be losing certain opportunities, especially in cases where a sexually violated woman is comfortable speaking to a female reporter. In cases where the media is dominated by male reporters, these will be lost opportunities.”

Women vs men reporters

Key recommendations Media houses to develop Gender policies that address GBV in editorial practices. Engage media with the findings of the GMPS research; the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development as related to media provisions as well as the Media Council of Tanzania Gender Code of Ethics. Run training courses on gender sensitive reporting and how to mainstream gender in news coverage. Gender Links in collaboration with other partner organizations provide half-yearly monitoring report on how media covers GBV. Recognize media houses that give positive coverage to GBV issues.

rule Understand GBV: It is not only rape Media houses work closely with civil society or any other organizations working with GBV survivors Media adhere to industry’s code of ethics when covering GBV: privacy, confidentiality Make effort to speak to both the survivor and the perpetrator Avoid using money to get GBV survivors to tell their stories

Taking on the bulls

THANK YOU