Stakeholders have called on the media to effectively report and document Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) cases in the country.
The stakeholders made the call at a one-day sensitisation workshop for media practitioners on SGBV reporting organised by Women’s Rights and Health Project (WRAHP) in partnership with Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI) at Egbe-Idimu in Lagos.
According to the organisers, the workshop was necessitated by the growth of SGBV cases in Lagos State with Alimosho Local Council ranking first on the list.
Programme Manager of WRAHP, Francis Umoh, emphasised the need for gender equality and protection from SGBV for women and girls, stressing that the issue of patriarchy and gender inequality has placed women and girls at disadvantaged positions, hence the need for effective media coverage and documentation.
He noted that, “statistics show that 49.3 per cent of the population are women, so marginalising women slows down the pace of the world.”
Media strategist, Wemimo Adewuni, stated that media coverage alone would not suffice as there are deep-seated stereotypes that inspire violence against women and girls.
“We need to deal with this issue from its root. There is the influence of culture and the gender biases it spurs,” Adewumi said.
She added that it is the role of the media to raise awareness and accurately depict the realities of SGBV and its consequences, advocate for policy changes and raise the priority level of any societal issue.
Adewuni said: “The media is plagued by what I call media amnesia because they are hasty to report trending and breaking news and not pressing issues like SGBV in our society.”
She challenged journalists at the workshop to be passionate about reporting SGBV cases and initiate a follow-up and also help correct the ills propagated by society through their reportage.
“We can help uncover systemic failure, show the gaps in legislation and instances of institutional negligence while pushing for reforms and justice for victims and survivors,” she said.
Adewuni encouraged the media to provide support for victims and survivors by ensuring that their plights are captured in their reports for the attention of law enforcement agents, policymakers and stakeholders.
She also urged state governments to ensure that domesticated SGBV laws and policies are not toned down by religion, unequal power relations and negligence.
