An NGO, good women association (GWA), has urged media practitioners and information managers to ensure effective reporting of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) cases to combat the pervasive menace.
The executive director of GWA, Ms. Biola Ibiefo, made the call at the end of a two-day training for the media in Lagos on Thursday, as
she decried increasing cases of SGBV against women and girls, in spite of extant laws of domestication in the country. The theme of the training is “combating sexual and gender-based violence
Against vulnerable women, adolescent girls and children”, supported by ISDAO and love alliances. Ibiefo said the essence of the training is to expose information managers on adequate coverage in a bid to reduce SGBV in the society.
She added that “the training is also to expose reporters on how to tackle the challenges of reporting SGBV that doesn’t perpetuate gender stereotypes, but informed and elicited public debate.” according to her, this will further improve readers’ understanding of both the actions of the survivor and the perpetrator.
The director said other objectives of the training included; assisting journalists to understand SGBV, why it occurred and its consequences on women, families and society. She said “hence, this is why we want the media to intensify campaigns to curb the menace through their reports, as well as avoid using stereotypes in reporting cases.
“The association has exposed the media through this training on how to respect people’s privacies, shun sensationalism and profiling victims rather than perpetrators. “As media practitioners, we must take care of confidentialities so that people we report these cases to will be encouraged to take it up. “The essence is that if we keep to the rule of confidentiality, people will be encouraged to report such cases from their vicinity. We should also mind our use of language.
“Once we start reporting in such a way that the perpetrators are brought to book and the victims and survivors of SGBV like rape are put through the process of healing, we will easily nip this problem in the bud.
“We must begin to educate our people through our reports about some of those cultural, traditional and religious beliefs that are anti-modern society of this 21st century.”
She attributed the increasing cases of SGBV to delay by some state governments to adopt and implement the child rights act (2003) and the violence against persons prohibition (VAPP) Act (2015), delay in the prosecution of offenders, the culture of silence, traditional practices, among others.
Ibiefo, who urged the media to adopt human rights-based approach in news reporting, also called for independent investigation to verify facts before releasing news that relates with female sex workers.
According to her, media reporting on sex workers and their organizations should be done respectfully and ethically without causing harm.
