Background

Gender-Based Violence (GBV) is one of the most prevalent human rights abuses worldwide. According to studies,  one out of every three women will be physically or sexually abused at some point in their life. GBV jeopardizes the victims’ health, dignity, safety and autonomy.

The COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria aggravated the problem, resulting in an increase in domestic and sexual violence incidents. Some of these incidents were reported, while others went unnoticed. Despite the fact that the media has recognised the threat posed by this act of injustice, there have been substantial problems in how the media has reported on gender-based violence.

The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development, through the support of the Ford Foundation and the Australian High Commission in Nigeria, developed the GBV Reporting Handbook to address the knowledge gap in gender reporting and to cross-examine the presentation of journalism and its role in achieving democracy and development. The CJID launched the handbook and engaged with media experts to discuss the role of the media in achieving gender equality.

The discussion highlighted the need for the media to strategically identify anomalies in society and educate the public on the need to break free from harmful gender stereotypes, especially around culture and religion. Media organizations should encourage reporters to go beyond reporting gender-based violence as exclusive news and become agenda-setters with the power to expand the knowledge of the public and policymakers. Also, conversations on GBV should be moved into places where socialization appears. The media was advised to change the language of reporting gender-based violence on People With Disabilities (PWD).