Global Issues

Women and Media

Gender Based Violence

In war-torn northern Uganda, girls as young as 10 have been forced to become sex slaves to members of the Lord’s Resistance Army. In the Darfur refugee camps of Eastern Chad, women and girls who leave the camp to gather firewood are often attacked and raped. And following the post-election violence in Kenya, there was a threefold increase in reported rapes.

In these countries, as their society collapsed into violence, women and girls paid a double price; not only were their homes and communities disrupted, but they also became much more likely to experience rape, domestic violence, or sexual slavery, all forms of violence primarily targeted at women. The stigma surrounding such abuse makes it difficult for survivors to talk about these experiences, and for communities to understand the extent of the problem.

In an effort to confront gender-based violence (GBV) in Kenya, Chad and Uganda, Internews has developed programs that empower the local media to bring the issue to the forefront. Through training local journalists in covering GBV, producing radio programs that address the issues, hosting roundtables for media professionals, and organizing “listening clubs” for women, these programs offer support for GBV survivors and work to increase understanding of GBV.

In the Camps of Eastern Chad: She Speaks, She Listens

In Eastern Chad, where Internews has established three community radio stations to serve refugees from Darfur, the weekly program “Elles Parlent, Elles Ecoutent (She Speaks, She Listens) is the only program on gender-based violence in the region.

“Through this program, women in particular are informed and sensitized on GBV issues,” says Annick Nsabimana, Internews’ Resident Journalism Advisor on GBV in Chad. “Topics long considered taboo are unveiled and discussed, and now GBV survivors frequently ask to share their experiences on our program.”

Internews has also organized “listening clubs” for women in the camps to listen to the program, offer feedback to the local producers, and discuss the topic amongst themselves. Programs have covered the practice of marrying off girls to older men, and the plight of emotionally traumatized women whose relatives keep them tied up in their tents.

The willingness to discuss such topics at all represents a significant change in a region where women rarely report rape and sexual abuse, to avoid the stigma and marginalization that so often follows. Listeners say the program gives them an opportunity to express themselves, to talk about their problems, and to be more aware of their rights and how to uphold them

“The principle of the GBV program is to go beyond the factual, “ says Nsabimana. “While we make an effort to share the facts and explore options developed by the key players, we are ultimately concerned with the impact of the program on the survivors and their communities.”

The program is funded by grants from the US Department of State, UNHCR, Equal Access, Jewish World Watch, and the AJG Foundation.

Post-Violence Kenya: Roundtable for Journalists Addresses GBV

“The media should and could play a powerful role in disseminating humanitarian information and creating grassroots understanding of the plight of those affected by GBV,” says Ida Jooste, Country Director for Internews Network in Kenya.

However, it is essential that journalists be equipped with the necessary skills and training to report on GBV.

“I hadn’t realized the magnitude of reporting on this. I didn’t know when to stop being a journalist and when my emotions would take over,” says Mary Kiio, a journalist for Kenya’s Trans World Radio who reported on the rape of two young children and a woman.

For this reason, Internews Kenya has conducted a roundtable geared towards giving journalists the tools needed to report on GBV sensitively. This training was especially necessary after the increase in sexual violence due to post-election turmoil—where reports of rape and violence have increased three- to four-fold.

Journalists received mentoring on sensitive storytelling and learned to provide listeners and interviewees with information about where to go for post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), medical treatment, and counseling services.

This work is funded by Pact/United States Agency for International Development.

War-Torn Northern Uganda: Reporting on Gender-Based Violence

In Uganda, Internews held training workshops for local journalists on GBV reporting. Participants were taught the correct terminology to use when discussing GBV, the importance of talking to a wide range of sources, limiting imputations of blame, and understanding how regional politics and issues like transitional justice play an important role in GBV.

“Although GBV is hardly spoken of in northern Uganda, it’s a very common experience and is perpetrated by both the army and the rebels, as well as by men in the women’s everyday lives. It’s important for journalists to stop thinking of it as “women’s business”, and to talk of it in terms of larger societal, political and human rights issues. Journalists can only create a safe, respectful space for survivors to talk about GBV if their copy is fair, accurate, well-sourced and tells a deeper, more complex story than simple sensationalism,” said workshop director, Karen Williams.

At an Internews training held in Gulu, participating journalists learned how to angle GBV programs towards men, and how to use men not only as interview sources but as partners in fighting GBV.

Internews’ GBV work in Uganda was funded by grants from the United States Agency for International Development.

Women and Media