VAW can be defined as violation of a woman’s personhood, mental or physical integrity, or freedom of movement. It is the result of unequal power relation between women and men. Underlying this power relation is patriarchy, the social structure that is constructed, reinforced and perpetuated by socio-political institutions put in place by men which ensures that men, by virtue of their gender have power and control over women and children.
The subject of portrayal of women in Nepali media has drawn the attention of media critiques in the present times. It arises especially when our society is going through a period of glaring changes. Women have been portrayed as men would like to see them— beautiful creatures, submissive mothers, efficient house keepers, and nothing else. The emphasis on stories about women, about their struggle for recognition is only the surface trimming. The actual message to audience still is that society opposes the liberation of women. The lack of gender sensitivity in the media is also evidenced in the failure to eliminate gender-based stereotyping. Generally, the media does not provide a balanced portrayal of women’s diverse lives and their contributions to society in a changing world.
In the past few years there has been an improved and increased reportage of issues related to women in the media particularly in the print. News related to women, though still marginal, have started to occasionally occupy important slots like the editorial, feature news, front-page news etc. However, women’s visibility in the news is still dominated by sensationalized stories of glamor, sex, domestic and other forms of violence. Stories like women coping with adversity or building their lives are largely missing. Issues affecting women, their vast experiences and their lives, barely find their way into the mainstream media. Likewise, very few informative pieces or feature columns are published for women informing them about their legal rights, or about their potential for political activity.
The presence of women in media both in terms of numbers and the positions they occupy is strongly influenced by social and religious taboos that operate as legal sanctions even today in many regions and communities, the constitution and laws not withstanding. Also, a vast majority of women have been forced away from the print media even as readers due to inaccessibility, illiteracy and inequality.
Commenting upon the print media’s performance on covering VAW issues, Tika Pradhan, senior reporter of The Himalayan Times says, “The coverage of issues related to VAW is not satisfactory. English broadsheet dailies of Nepal have no planned coverage on VAW related issues. It is not adequate. Media needs to work more to give better coverage.” By creating awareness among people about VAW, media can minimize violence against women to a large extent. Plans and strategy need to be drafted—for better coverage and effective follow ups of reported incidents. Editors and respective reporters need to be trained on the issues of VAW, he adds.
Women’s visibility in the news is still dominated by sensationalized stories of glamor, sex, domestic and other forms of violence. Stories like women coping with adversity or building their lives are largely missing.
Highlighting the necessity of recruiting specialized reporters in the media, Prakash Rimal, news coordinator of The Kathmandu Post says, “More needs to be done and there still is a long way to go. Media coverage has definitely come handy in minimizing VAW. For instance, more women are being educated, have become aware of their rights and are coming ahead to fight VAW”. Make VAW a reporting beat, assign special reporters to look into the issue, train him/her, prioritize the sector, report every news related to VAW, work in tandem with organization working in this field, he adds.
Emphasizing on the necessity of understanding the sensitivity of VAW related issues, Pragya Lamsal, reporter of The Rising Nepal says, “In comparison to earlier days, I feel that VAW issues are getting more coverage in English broadsheet dailies. VAW must be given priority by all newspapers. In comparison to earlier days, we encounter a lot of news on the issue. But, it is not adequate. Media plays a crucial role in creating awareness among general masses about VAW and it surely has helped to minimize damage in Nepal.”
Much remains to be done with regard to the “participation, portrayal and access of women to the media and its impact on and use as an instrument for the advancement and empowerment of women”. What our country needs in the present context are minimum regulation and more enablement.
Media does not only influence the social image of women but also their self-image. Most women are themselves uncritical consumers of anti-women media antics. Media affects their socialization process, it influences their choices regarding what they consume and wear, how they behave, what they learn, and what they ultimately become.
It is noted that media has not only helped women and society to redefine their own and men’s roles; it has also ignored, even trivialized whatever attempts women have made to redefine their roles, to create alternative behavior patterns and life styles. By doing so, the media has clearly discouraged the emergence of a new woman, a new man and a new relationship between them.
It is the social responsibility of mass media to present a thorough analysis of why VAW continues to exist. The timely and appropriate analysis of the implementation of existing laws to punish culprits will undoubtedly serve society to play a vibrant role. The portrayal of woman in the print media is quite degrading more often than not depicting her as commercial commodity. The public should be motivated and sensitized to the issue of criminalization, politicization, and commercialization of women vis-à-vis their projection in the media in a healthy manner.
kalpanajee2003@yahoo.com
Related story
28 women and girls fall victim to domestic violence during 16 d...
-1782782519.webp)
