Don't downplay domestic violence: Journalists told to call it by its name

The language used in the reporting of gender-based violence, as well as the way women are portrayed in the media is key in shaping society's approach to abuse, Equality Minister Helena Dalli said this morning.

Dalli was speaking at the launch of guidelines for journalists reporting on family and gender-based violence, drawn up by Commission on Domestic Violence. She stressed the need for greater sensitisation on the part of journalists and publishers to such issues. 

“The idea is to have this type of violence at the back of one’s mind when on the job,” Dalli said, adding that those working in the media might sometimes underestimate the effect their work had on shaping society’s perceptions.

She said the way a problem was portrayed, and focused on could go a long way in the fight against gender-based violence. 

Moreover, Dalli said that old mentalities, like the belief that whatever happens at home should stay at home should be abandoned, and that the problem of gender-based violence should be tackled head on.

“Children need to be raised knowing that violence is never the answer,” she added.   

The minister also spoke on the need for journalists to seek out more stories about abuse. 

Using the #metoo movement that developed in the US as an example - where scores of victims of abuse came forward with their stories started to come forward following revelation of sexual-abuse by producer Harvey Weinstein - she said the culture of silence had finally become an issue. 

Dalli noted that the movement was helped by the fact that publications like the New York Times and Buzzfeed news had started looking for more stories of abuse through campaigns like that asking readers who their industry’s Harvey Weinstein was. 

In addition to digging deeper into cases of abuse, she also pointed out that it was important for the subject to be treated responsibly, by protecting the identity of the victim and properly verifying the allegations being made.  

Guidelines for the reporting of gender-based violence

The press conference was also addressed by Joe Gerada, the chairperson of the Commission against Domestic Violence, and Broadcasting Authority CEO Joanne Spiteri. 

Gerada said that family violence was an issue that had a far-reaching effect on society, often affecting children, family and neighbours, in addition to the victim. 

"When there is violence in a family we need to call a spade a spade," he said, adding that terms like argument or disagreement in the reporting of domestic violence didn't show the full picture.

He pointed out that only 16% of those working in the media were women, meaning more needed to be done to ensure that both sexes were represented fairly. He said the portrayal of women as sexual objects or as always being the victims needed to be fought. 

He underscored that violence, rather than being a trait that could not be helped, was a learned behaviour which could either be normalised or highlighted, depending on how it was discussed. 

This was especially true when one considered that 15% of women over the age of 15 have reported experiencing harassment, as well as the fact that there have been 15 domestic murders – all women – in the last ten years. 

Looking such cases as an unpredictable event or private tragedy or rationalizing it in terms of a couples’ history or personal situation also did not help, said Gerada. “The presence of an intimate relationship doesn’t make violence less serious.”

Spiteri emphasised that the guidelines were not intended to help rather than hinder media professionals’ work. She too appealed for journalists to think more about the implications of the language being used, adding that this also applied to the non-journalistic media. 

The portrayal of women in TV-series and other non-journalistic media was also discussed in a panel discussion, where a number of those in attendance stressed the need for more female role models.

The fact that women were often given less time to speak during panel discussions was also flagged by those present, as was the need for news less sensationalist and victim-based reporting of such issues.