Covering sexual violence in the media
by Judith Matloff
 
Reporting on sexual violence is a challenge even for seasoned war journalists. How should correspondents, news editors and producers report the impact of sexual violence on individuals and communities without causing further distress or danger?

Unlike other conflict-related calamities that afflict civilians – such as landmine injuries or displacement – the impact and incidence of sexual violence are often hidden from view. In many societies sexual violence is the ultimate taboo, the one crime for which the victim is often punished rather than the perpetrator. Individuals and communities are often reluctant to talk about it for fear of retribution and stigmatisation. Media attention to sexual violence can raise awareness and pressure governments and the humanitarian community to support prevention measures and support for survivors. However, the media must take care to report the phenomenon accurately and sensitively.

International reporters covering war-related sexual violence face many constraints:

* Journalists usually have only a short time on the ground, limiting attempts to establish rapport and corroborate facts.
* Coverage could endanger the interviewee, even if she is not directly identified.
* Pitching a story to editors can be difficult due to compassion fatigue, because they dismiss it as a woman’s story or fail to understand its wider impact.
* Even NGOs working to address sexual violence may not want to be mentioned, as coverage could lead to interference by perpetrators and/or the government.

Journalists covering sexual violence in a particular conflict zone need to conduct research to get context regarding the scope of the phenomenon, how it is locally regarded, what measures and programmes are in place to address it and whether reporting might put communities or NGOs at risk. They might start by interviewing humanitarian workers who live in or regularly visit camps or communities where the violence is taking place. A reporter is not likely to gain a subject’s confidence in a single visit and talking to people with regular contact with affected communities can provide an accurate overview. 

If a journalist decides it is appropriate and safe to interview survivors, sensitive interviewing techniques are essential. Reporters should take along someone who speaks the local language and who has been sensitised to the topic. No matter how sensitive male reporters try to be, a raped woman will probably feel more comfortable telling her story to another female. If the reporter decides to photograph or film the subject, s/he must do so in a way that does not reveal the face or any other aspect of the person’s identity. Requests to stop filming or taping must always be respected.

Talking to survivors can give credibility and power to a story but the most important task for a journalist is to report on the overall context that gives rise to the phenomenon and what is needed to change it. Sexual violence in conflict almost always springs from wider problems – a lack of security and protection, the low status of women and girls and a culture in which sexual violence is either not recognised as a crime or impunity prevails. 

Judith Matloff (jm2342@columbia.edu), an experienced war correspondent, is a professor at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism (www.jrn.columbia.edu). 
The Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma (www.dartcenter.org) is a network of journalists and mental health professionals dedicated to informed news reporting on violence.