Unesco Un Women Eng

THE BIG
CONVERSATION
Handbook to Address
Violence against Women
in and through the Media
Authors:
Dina Deligiorgis with Manal Benkirane (UN Women) based on an initial draft prepared by Vanessa Born (DIV VIC,
Australia), Sarah Green (Ending Violence against Women Coalition, UK) and Fiona Vera-Gray (Durham University)
and with inputs from Kalliope Mingeirou (UN Women).
Technical Advisers:
Mirta Lourenço, Communication and Information Sector, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization, UNESCO
Reviewers:
Josephine Casserly, Governance and Rights Adviser, BBC Media Action
Will Taylor, Senior Adviser, Governance and Rights, BBC Media Action
Karen Boyle, University of Stirling, Professor of Feminist Media Studies, Communications, Media and Culture
Marai Larasi, IMKAAN
Carla Moore, University of the West Indies, Lecturer in Gender and Development Studies
Shawna-Kae Burns, University of the West Indies, Lecturer in Gender and Development Studies
Gabrielle Henderson, UN Women
Philippe Lust-Bianchi, UN Women
Juncal Plazaola Castano, UN Women
Oisika Chakrabarti, UN Women
Editorial support:
Mallorie Bronfman-Thomas (UN Women)
Special thanks is extended to the Australian Government for its support for this handbook.
Published by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), 7, place de
Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP, France, and UN Women, 220 East 42nd St, New York, NY 10017, USA
© UNESCO and UN Women, 2019

ISBN 978-92-3-100332-5
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Violence against Women and Girls (http://endvawnow.org) and the UN Women website. Users shall be bound
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the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO or UN Women concerning the legal
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frontiers or boundaries.
The ideas and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors; they are not necessarily
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Design: Dammsavage Inc.

THE BIG
CONVERSATION
Handbook to Address
Violence against Women
in and through the Media
FOREWORD
Violence against women remains one of the greatest human rights issues of our time. One in every three women
will experience some form of physical or sexual violence (not including sexual harassment) in her lifetime. The
Beijing Platform for Action, a global blueprint for the achievement of gender equality nearing its 25-year review,
reminds us that there is still much work to do to stem the scourge of this epidemic. It also reminds us of the
importance of media to this agenda. Television, film, radio, print and social media surround us on a daily basis,
providing information, entertainment and ever-increasing channels of communication. These platforms, and the
content they deliver, present both unrelenting challenges and incredible opportunities for the achievement of
gender equality and the elimination of violence against women and girls.
The discriminatory social norms that drive gender inequality and violence against women and girls have often
been perpetuated through the stereotypical portrayals of men and women, not only along gender lines, but also
other personal identities, such as race, language group, disability and social and economic status, among others.
At the same time, media have powerfully contributed to opening up our imaginations, demonstrating the rich-
ness of our diversity and holding promise for a world with more respectful relationships and greater harmony. It
is this power that we seek to harness and support.
UN Women and UNESCO are pleased to have collaborated on the production of this handbook, which is one in a
series of handbooks being developed to advance implementation of A Framework to Underpin Action to Prevent
Violence against Women (UN Women, UNDP, UNESCO, UNFPA, OHCHR and WHO, 2015). This handbook provides
guidance, tools and promising practices from countries across the globe for those working with and within
media. It is our intention that this handbook provides entry points for accelerating progress towards gender
equality in the systems and structures of organizations. We hope that it leverages what we know works in order
to promote the values of diversity, equality and non-violence in the content that media produces.
Åsa Regnér Moez Chakchouk

Assistant Secretary-General Assistant Director-General
Deputy Executive Director for Communication and Information
UN Women UNESCO
Handbook to address violence

against women and girls in and through media iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTS 1 5 P
ROMOTING POSITIVE
INSTITUTIONAL APPROACHES 34
5.1 Mapping and Assessment 34
1 INTRODUCTION 3 5.2 Gender Parity 36
1.1 Why is it Important to Work with Media? 3 5.3 Policies, Protocols, Codes of Conduct 38
1.2 What are the Ways to Engage Media? 4 5.4 Training 46
5.5 Safety of Journalists 47
2 INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL

FRAMEWORKS 5
6 ENGAGING IN SOCIAL NORMS CHANGE 53
2.1 Human Rights Frameworks 5
6.1 Entry Points for Social Norms Change 58
2.2 Policy Instruments 7
6.2 Framing and Messaging of Media Content 60
6.3 Exploring Opportunities through Media Content 63

3 GUIDING PRINCIPLES 9 6.3.1 News and Current Affairs 63
6.3.2 Advertising 68
3.1 Adhering to Ethics and Safety. 9
6.3.3 Entertainment and Creative Media 70
3.2 Refraining from Social and Cultural Bias 9
6.3.4 Social Media and ICTs 77
3.3 M
aintaining a Human Rights Based and Gender Equality
Lens 9 6.4 Campaigning 81
3.4 Adopting an Intersectional Approach 10 6.5 Community Mobilization 83
3.5 Ensuring Representation 10
3.6 P
lanning for Increased Help-seeking by Survivors of
Violence 10 ANNEX: 10 ESSENTIAL ACTIONS 86
3.7 Aiming for Internet Universality 11
REFERENCES
4 S
TRENGTHENING THE ENABLING
ENVIRONMENT 12
4.1 Regulatory Frameworks 12
4.2 Research and Monitoring 16
4.3 Media and Information Literacy 20
4.4 Networks 27
4.5 Awards and Recognition 32

KEY TERMS AND
CONCEPTS
Gender: the social attributes and opportunities asso- all areas and at all levels. It is a strategy for making
ciated with being male and female, the relationships women’s as well as men’s concerns and experiences
between women and men and girls and boys, as well an integral dimension of the design, implementation,
as the relations between women and those between monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes
men. These attributes, opportunities and relationships in all political, economic and societal spheres so that
are socially constructed and are learned through so- women and men benefit equally and inequality is not
cialisation processes. They are context/time-specific perpetrated. The ultimate goal is to achieve gender
and changeable (UN Women, 2015). equality (UNICEF, UNFPA, UNDP, UN Women, 1997).
Gender diversity: in the context of this toolkit, refers Gender stereotypes: generalized views or preconcep-
to gender roles, expressions or behaviours that differ tions about attributes or characteristics that are or
from traditional gender norms. Gender-diverse people ought to be possessed by, or the roles that are or should
may define themselves as different from, and behave be performed by, women and men (OHCHR).
in ways that may not be typically associated with, their
biological sex. Intersectionality: a concept that seeks to capture both
the structural and dynamic consequences of the inter-
Gender equality: the concept that all human beings, action between two or more forms of discrimination
regardless of sex or gender identity, are equal in dignity or systems of subordination. It specifically addresses
and rights and free to develop their personal abilities, the manner in which racism, patriarchy, economic
pursue their professional careers and make choices disadvantages and other discriminatory systems con-
without discrimination and the limitations set by ste- tribute to axes of inequality that structure the relative
reotypes, rigid gender roles and prejudices. positions of women and men, races and other groups.
Moreover, it addresses the way that specific acts and
Gender inequality: the gender norms, roles, cultural policies create burdens that flow along these inter-
practices, policies and laws, economic factors and in- secting axes actively contributing to create a dynamic
stitutional practices that collectively contribute to and of disempowerment (UN, 2000).
perpetuate unequal power relations between women
and men. This inequality disproportionately disadvan- Media: refers to a variety of communication insti-
tages women in nearly all spheres of life across all tutions (in print, audio, visual and online) used to
societies. produce and disseminate information, ideas or mes-
sages pertaining to, for example, news, entertainment
Gender mainstreaming: the process of assessing the and/or advertising. References to “the media” in this
implications for women and men of any planned ac- publication should not be taken as generalisations
tion, including legislation, policies or programmes, in about each and every media institution.

against women and girls in and through media 1
Prevention: refers to halting abuse before it occurs and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG): is defined
stopping it from recurring. The focus of this toolkit is as ‘any act of gender-based violence that results in,
on preventing violence by targeting the social norms, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychologi-
practices and structures that underpin or endorse cal harm or suffering to women (or girls), including
violence against women and girls. Prevention requires threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation
a range of interdependent and mutually reinforcing of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.’
interventions that are also accompanied by support Such violence is perpetrated against women and girls
services for survivors and perpetrator accountability. specifically because they are women and girls. It ex-
ists in multiple, interrelated and sometimes recurring
Social norm: a norm is a social construct. It exists as a forms, and is a manifestation of historically unequal
collectively shared belief about what others do (what power relations between men and women (UN A/
is typical) and what is expected of what others do RES/48/104, 1993).
within the group (what is appropriate). Social norms
are generally maintained by social approval and/or
disapproval (Heise, L. & Heise & Manji, K, 2016).

1.INTRODUCTION
Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is widely recognized as one of the most pervasive
human rights violations in the world. It acts as both a cause and consequence of gender in-
equality, impacting the health, safety, productivity and overall well-being of women and girls,
and impeding the realization of their rights. Despite increased efforts to address it, rates of
VAWG remain alarmingly high. Global data shows that one in three women has experienced
physical and/or sexual violence at some point in her lifetime, with this figure being as high as
7 in 10 in some countries (WHO, 2013). The most significant challenge remains the persistence
of attitudes, beliefs, practices and behaviours in society that perpetuate negative stereotypes,
discrimination and gender inequality, as root causes of VAWG. Addressing this challenge lies at
the core of prevention work.
UN Women, in partnership with the ILO, OHCHR, services, within communities, at local and national
UNDP, UNESCO, UNFPA, WHO and other relevant government levels, and through the media.
stakeholders, including civil society, has developed
a first ever framework on prevention (A United This Handbook provides guidance to UN and other
Nations Framework to Underpin Action to Prevent entities working with media organizations to ad-
Violence Against Women, 2015). The Framework vance gender equality and prevent violence against
reflects the growing evidence that a comprehen- girls and women. There are two main domains for
sive approach to prevention is needed, bringing achieving these goals, including: working with me-
together interventions that are multi-component dia as entities that can promote gender equality
and mutually reinforcing at all levels of society from within and working with media as channels
(individual, relational, communal and institutional). to promote values of diversity, equality and non-
The Framework highlights the need to squarely discrimination externally through the content they
address the underlying practices, beliefs, attitudes produce. The handbook is structured to provide more
and behaviours across society that perpetuate and specific guidance on:
tolerate abuse. It identifies eleven ‘entry points’ of
1) Strengthening the enabling environment
intervention to prevent VAWG, including: schools,
workplaces, sports organizations, male-dominated 2) Promoting positive institutional approaches
institutions, health, justice, security and transport 3) Engaging with media for changing social norm
1.1 Why is it important to work with media?

Media are regarded as a key ‘entry point’ for prevent- violence against women and girls. On the other hand,
ing VAWG in the long-term because of their unique media function to shine light upon important societal
reach to broad sections of the population, as well as issues: raising awareness about the extent, causes
their ability to influence and shape ideas and percep- and consequences of the various forms of abuses that
tions about what is considered socially acceptable. On exist. They should serve to present society in all of its
the one hand, through stereotypical and/or harmful diversity, rather than drawing upon narrow traditional
portrayals, media may reinforce the social norms that narratives and stereotypes regarding the roles and
contribute to gender discrimination, inequality and portrayals of men and women, and men and women

of different backgrounds. They can provide a voice and organizations themselves, the content they produce
platform to empower women and place critical issues and to the audiences.
onto the political agenda.
Work with media, in this respect, requires engage-
At the same time, however, media can and often ment in three inter-connected spheres, including:
does perpetuate violence-supportive social norms
that are discriminatory along gender, racial and other • Strengthening the external enabling environment
lines, which actively undermine gender equality and that facilitates positive change in structural and
women’s freedom from violence. The media content social norms, such as improving laws and policies
on violence against women could affect the audience (regulatory frameworks) to address potential harm;
in different ways. The negative content produced can understanding the successes and challenges of the
have significant adverse effects which can lead to sector through research and monitoring; enhanc-
serious consequences. This can range from the banali- ing media and information literacy for populations
zation of the issue to the reproduction of violent acts, to better navigate content that they are exposed
also known as the copycat effect (Toledo and Lagos, to; and celebrating promising practices through
2014). It is important for media professionals to have awards and recognition.
a better understanding of the potential effects of
the content they produce and to be engaged in a co- • Promoting positive institutional change for gender
creation of a more sensitive and purposeful content equality, such as working towards parity of men and
about gender, diversity and non-violence. women in the workforce and in decision-making;
training on gender, discrimination and violence
1.2 What are the ways to engage against women and girls; and strengthening policies
media? around gender (sexual harassment and domestic
violence, work-life balance, safety of journalists) and
Media are diverse in structure (the way they exist those related to editing and publishing.
and are organized), formats (print, audio, digital, etc.)
and in their content types (news and current affairs, • Engaging in transforming social norms by ad-
entertainment, social interaction, etc.). What they dressing content that stereotypes gender, is
have in common is that gender inequality and the discriminatory and lacks an understanding of the
discriminatory social norms that are pervasive in so- root causes of violence against women and girls, in
ciety are usually reflected in their structures, formats addition to exploring opportunities to partner for
and content. What they also have in common is the prosocial communications, targeted campaigns and
power that they have to communicate ideas to a vast programming to foster values, beliefs and attitudes
segment of the population. This context brings many that are based on equality, respect for diversity and
opportunities to drive positive change to the media non-violence.
Media content
Internal policies & practice
External enabling environment

2. INTERNATIONAL AND
REGIONAL FRAMEWORKS
2.1 Human rights frameworks make a far greater contribution to the advancement
International and regional human rights frameworks of women. It outlined two strategic areas that are still
systematically note the importance of media to very relevant today as progress has been slow:
advance gender equality and the empowerment of
women, including eliminating violence against them. • to increase the participation and access of women
to expression and decision-making in and through
The Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination the media and new technologies of communica-
against Women through its general recommendation; and
tions 19 (1992), 23 (16th session, 1997) and 35 (2017), call
on states to adopt and implement effective measures • to promote a balanced and non-stereotyped por-
to ensure that the media respect and promote respect trayal of women in media.
for women by:
The Platform for Action had the foresight to include
• encouraging the creation or strengthening of advances in information communication technologies
self-regulatory mechanisms by media, including (ICTs); their role in facilitating a global communica-
online or social media, aimed at the elimination of tions network that transcends national boundaries;
gender-stereotypes relating to women and men, or and the impact this has on public policy, private at-
to specific groups of women (such as human rights titudes and behaviours.
defenders), and to address gender-based violence
against women that takes place through their ser- The Council of Europe Convention on preventing and
vices and platforms; combating violence against women and domestic
violence (Istanbul Convention, Article 17, 2011) adopted
• creating guidelines for the appropriate coverage by in Europe, but open for global signatures, requires
the media of cases of gender-based violence against States Parties to: encourage the private sector, the
women; ICT sector and media, with due respect for freedom of
expression and their independence, to participate in
• establishing and/or strengthening the capacity of the elaboration and implementation of policies and
national human rights institutions to monitor or to set guidelines and self-regulatory standards to pre-
consider complaints regarding any media that por- vent violence against women and to enhance dignity;
tray gender discriminatory images or content that and develop and promote, in co-operation with pri-
objectify or demean women or promote violent vate sector actors, skills among children, parents and
masculinities; and educators on how to deal with the information and
communications environment that provides access
• establishing a system to regularly collect, analyse, and to degrading content of a sexual or violence nature
publish statistical data on the number of complaints which might be harmful.
about all forms of gender-based violence against
women, including technology mediated violence. At the regional level, the Inter-American Convention
on the Prevention, Punishment, and Eradication of
The Beijing Platform for Action (1995) recognized the Violence against Women (Belem do Para, Article
potential that exists everywhere for the media to 8, 1994), adopted in Latin America, requires States

Parties to undertake progressively specific measures, textbooks, syllables and the media, that perpetuate all
including programmes to encourage the communica- forms of discrimination against women. The ASEAN
tions media to develop appropriate media guidelines Regional Plan of Action on the Elimination of Violence
to contribute to the eradication of violence against against Women includes “design, implement, and
women in all its forms, and to enhance respect for evaluate evidence-based and context-specific and
the dignity of women. The Protocol to The African cultural sensitive awareness-raising campaigns for
Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights changing social norms towards non-violence and
of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol, Article 12, 2003), respectful relationships, especially through making
adopted in Africa, requires States Parties to take all effective use of existing [people-oriented] media out-
appropriate measures to eliminate all stereotypes in lets and communication channels (ASEAN, 2015).”
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the world’s overarching plan to build a better world
for people and our planet by 2030. Adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, the SDGs are a
call for action by all countries - poor, rich and middle-income - to promote prosperity while protecting the
environment. Within these goals, there are a number of targets related to the elimination of harassment,
discrimination and violence against women and girls, recognizing them as issues of human rights and
impediments to peace and development. The targets pertain to public and private spaces in all contexts.
They include, among others:
• End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere .(5.1)
• Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including
trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation. (5.2)
• Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation.
(5.3)
• Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of
decision-making in political, economic and public life. (5.5)
• Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to
promote the empowerment of women. (5.B)
• Adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality
and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels. (5.C)
• By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular
for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities. (11.7)
• Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere. (16.1)
• End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children. (16.2)
• Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national
legislation and international agreements. (16.10)
• Promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies for sustainable development. (16.B)
For more detailed information on each of these, see: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/

The Council of Europe recommendation on the These Resolutions have also provided more targeted
Protection of Violence against Women (2002/5) notes recommendations related to the issues of journal-
that Member States should: compile and make avail- ist safety and violence against women committed
able to the general public appropriate information through ICTs.1
concerning the different types of violence and their
consequences for victims, including integrated statis-
tical data, using all the available media (press, radio The Special Rapporteur on violence
and television, etc.); encourage the media to promote against women, it’s causes and
a non-stereotyped image of women and men based consequences
on respect for the human person and human dignity The Special Rapporteur, through her various reports,
and to avoid programmes associating violence and has highlighted the critical role of media, including:
sex; as far as possible, these criteria should also be in monitoring and reporting on cases of gender-
taken into account in the field of the new information based violence; in providing a counter-discourse to
technologies. Further, the media should be encour- ‘hegemonic interpretations of culture’ and trans-
aged to: participate in information campaigns to alert forming discriminatory values, institutions and
the general public to violence against women; orga- power structures; and through the importance of
nise training to inform media professionals and alert portraying culturally unbiased and non-stereotypical
them to the possible consequences of programmes images of different women (e.g. those living with
that associate violence and sex; elaborate codes of disabilities) to change negative perceptions, elimi-
conduct for media professionals, which would take nate discrimination and end violence. The Special
into account the issue of violence against women Rapporteur also produced a dedicated report on ICT-
and, in the terms of reference of media watch orga- related violence against women (2018), articulating
nizations, existing or to be established, encourage a number of recommendations to effectively address
the inclusion of tasks dealing with issues concerning the issue (HRC, 2018).
violence against women and sexism.
Policy Instruments Other Global Platforms

The Commission on the Status of Women has recog-
Various policy instruments and special mechanisms nized the importance of media and ICTs in many of
have also been formulated to address media and vio- its outcome documents and Agreed Conclusions, in-
lence against women. These include the Sustainable cluding its 55th Session on Access and Participation
Development Goals, General Assembly Resolutions, of Women and Girls in Education, Training and
Human Rights Council Resolutions, reports and rec- Science and Technology (2011) and its 57th Session on
ommendations by the Special Rapporteur on violence Elimination and Prevention of All Forms of Violence
against women, it’s cause and consequences and the against Women and Girls (2013) among others. The
outcome documents of the Commission on the Status Commission also resolved to discuss the media and
of Women, The World Summit Information Society ICTs theme at its 62nd session (CSW 2018). During
and the Broadband Commission. this session, position papers were presented on this
topic, later compiled into a UNESCO publication ti-
tled “Setting the Gender Agenda for Communication
General Assembly and Human Rights Policy: New proposals from the Global Alliance on
Council Resolutions Media and Gender”.
General Assembly and the Human Rights Council
Resolutions have been adopted referring to the role
media can play in eliminating gender stereotypes 1 See for example: General Assembly Resolutions 70/162,
and promoting gender equality, the empowerment 71/170, 69/147, 67/144, 65/187, 63/155, S-23-3 and Human
Rights Council Resolutions 35/10, 32/17, 32/19, 29/14, 26/15,
of women and the full enjoyment of human rights.
23/25, 17/11, 14/12, 32/13, 33/2

Resolution in the European Parliament on Gender Equality in the Media Sector in the EU
Adopted 20th February 2018
This Resolution adopted by the European Parliament provides background and recommendations to
address gender equality in audio-visual, technology-facilitated and digital communications. It includes
a range of relevant issues related to gender parity, participation and decision-making, equal pay and
work-life balance; safety of journalists; sexual harassment; gender stereotyping; gendered experiences of
women’s access to, use of and experiences with technology; the role of legislation, regulatory bodies and
women’s organizations; and the importance of research and monitoring, among other key areas related to
gender equality in the media.
For detailed information, see: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-%2F%2FEP%2F%2

FTEXT%2BREPORT%2BA8-2018-0031%2B0%2BDOC%2BXML%2BV0%2F%2FEN&language=EN#_part1_ref2
On gender, ICTs and new media, the World Summit discrimination and contribute to ending violence
Information Society +10 Statement on Implementation and harassment (ITU, 2014). In 2013, the Broadband
of WSIS Outcomes and the WSIS+10 Vision for WSIS Commission endorsed an advocacy target, calling for
Beyond 2015 included the mainstreaming of gender gender equality in access to broadband by 2020 and
issues across all WSIS action lines…to ensure action produced a discussion paper on Combatting Online
lines take account of continuing gender issues, redress Violence against Women and Girls.2
2 See http://www.itu.int/net/pressoffice/press_releases/2013/
08.aspx#.VCRq_PldUrZ and https://www.broadband
commission.org/Documents/publications/bb-wg-gender-
report2015-highlights.pdf

3. GUIDING PRINCIPLES
The principles below provide a common philosophy to guide organizations and media professionals
who engage with subject matter related to violence against women and girls. They are especially
relevant to those who are in direct contact with individuals who have experienced or witnessed
abuse, but also apply more broadly to any engagement. The principles should frame the under-
standing of violence in all circumstances and should permeate all content, activities and actions.
3.1 Adhering to Ethics and Safety 3.2 Refraining from Social and
Any media intervention should prioritize and guaran-
Cultural Bias
tee women’s and girls’ rights to safety and security, Individuals are shaped by their environment and their
confidentiality and privacy, expression of opinion and lived experiences, which may result in consciously
autonomy to make decisions. Subjects should be made or unconsciously expressing bias towards others.
fully aware of the purpose, intent, format and expected For example, specific forms of harmful practices and
reach or impact of any media intervention. Participation violence, such as female genital mutilation/cutting,
and dissemination of any material, including audio, acid attacks, dowry violence, “honour” killings, female
visual or print should be based on expressed informed infanticide and child marriage, among others which
consent by written or recorded confirmation. affect girls and women from specific communities
or from particular regions, tend to be exoticised and
Survivors of violence (whether those appearing in a “othered” (Larasi 2012). Coverage could also have the
media segment or employees of a media organiza- unintended consequence of increasing expressions of
tion) may present symptoms of post-traumatic stress racism and religious hatred against specific communi-
in recounting circumstances of their abuse or when ties. In order to avoid such bias and to better evaluate,
they report it. It is essential to research and make understand and portray people and situations in a
available referrals to quality accessible local support more balanced manner, it is critical for media person-
services or hotlines. If the subject is a minor (under 18) nel or those using media platforms to understand
it is critical to have a trained psychologist, counsellor what stereotypes and biases are and to recognize how
or social worker available on site to provide support. these manifest in their own views and communica-
Laws related to mandatory reporting of abuse for tions. This also applies to the policies and practices
minors must also be researched in advance and must within institutions, where social and cultural biases
be fully disclosed to participants ahead of acquiring (conscious and unconscious) may permeate systems
informed consent, so that the individual (and her legal and structures related to hiring, retention, promotion,
guardian) are fully aware of the possible ramifications decision-making and the overall organizational work-
of participation. ing environment.
Advocates (especially human rights defenders and 3.3 Maintaining a Human Rights-
women journalists) and survivors who speak out are Based and Gender Equality Lens
often at greater risk of further harm or retribution. It
is critical to assess risk, provide immediate security The ways in which media portray VAWG is often
and referrals for longer-term protection and safety problematic in a number of ways that perpetuate
planning. myths and stereotypes without analyses grounded
in the social and political reality of the situation. This
can include things like: victim-blaming and plac-
ing the attention or burden of the situation on the

woman instead of the perpetrator; sensationalising 3.5 Ensuring Representation
the circumstances; distorting facts and information;
misrepresenting the legal context; and presenting the Women and girls are experts on their own experiences,
issue as isolated incidents perpetrated by men who how they feel and what they need. Media organiza-
are demonized or unwell. To maintain a human rights- tions and those planning media interventions should
based and gender equality lens, violence against value women’s knowledge, and recognize women and
women and girls must be recognized as a violation girls, including survivor’s organizations, as respected
of the woman’s human rights and that there is no sources of information based on their ideas and expe-
circumstance which justifies violation or harm to her riences. Not all women and girls have the same needs
person. It means presenting the context of violence and experiences. These will be affected by culture, age,
against women as a problem of social norms that ethnic background or race, sexual orientation, ability
discriminate against women and girls (and promote and other defining characteristics related to social
harmful ideals of masculinity and manhood) and and or political status. This means that decisions
structures that reinforce inequality between men and within media organizations, within programmes and
women allowing men to feel entitled to exert power interventions, in portrayals and messaging should be
over them. This understanding is also foundational to reflective of the inputs and knowledge of women and
good sexual harassment policies and practice, recog- girls from diverse backgrounds. Engaging women,
nizing the issue as one of power imbalance, abuse of especially those whose rights and voices have been
authority and discrimination. marginalized, can avoid further exclusion, uphold
their rights and minimize unintended or negative
3.4 Adopting an Intersectional consequences.
Approach 3.6 Planning for increased help-
Interventions to address gender roles and stereo- seeking by survivors of violence
types cannot occur without an understanding that
although all women are in some way subject to gen- Media engagement, especially on a large scale, can re-
der discrimination, all women are not discriminated sult in greater numbers of victims/survivors and their
against in the same way, while particular groups of communities seeking support and information on
women (with different economic, social, political and how to address such violence. As a result, such inter-
cultural status) may face multiple forms of discrimi- ventions can place an additional demand on support
nation (Crenshaw 1991 and Wing 1997). Intersectional services, which may be struggling already to meet
discrimination has been recognized as a serious ob- existing demands, a factor to consider in the design of
stacle to the achievement of gender equality and is the broader programme to end VAWG. It is important
at the core of the ‘leave no one behind’ principle of therefore to identify existing services and consult
the Sustainable Development Goals. Factors including them on the design of interventions and communi-
race, ethnicity, caste, class, age, religion, sexual orien- cate to audiences which services are available (with
tation, marital status, geographic location, disability, contact information) and in what capacity. It is also
HIV status or status as a migrant, refugee or internally important to provide this information to survivors or
displaced person, can all influence the forms and na- witnesses that you interview, who may experience
ture of violence women and girls may suffer (Fergus secondary trauma from recalling and retelling what
2012). These factors can direct discrimination and vio- they have experienced or witnessed. The same applies
lence towards, as well as create inequalities that are within institutions, for example, when a new sexual
unique to particular groups of women, or that dispro- harassment policy and/or procedures are put in place,
portionately affect some groups of women. A sound it is likely that more people will come forward and
understanding of the multiple forms of discrimina- report their experience(s).
tion faced by different groups of women in different
contexts needs to be embedded in all interventions.

3.7 Aiming for Internet Universality was unanimously endorsed in 2015 by UNESCO’s 193
Member States. Underpinning the concept of Internet
(ROAM-X Principles)3 Universality are UNESCO’s ROAM principles (Rights,
As media are operating in a ubiquitous digital envi- Openness, Accessibility and Multistakeholder partici-
ronment, the key values and principles that UNESCO pation). Internet Universality recognizes the Internet as
advances for tackling the issues related to media and a network of economic and social interactions and rela-
gender in the digital age is Internet Universality (IU). tionships (i.e. much more than just digital technology),
Just as human rights are universal, and the SDGs are with huge potential to enable human rights, empower
universal, so is the value of Internet Universality as a key individuals and facilitate sustainable development. To
starting point for engagement and empowerment of all be sustainable, digital technologies must be available
actors including women and girls. Internet Universality to all, especially girls and women.
3 See: https://en.unesco.org/internetuniversality

4. STRENGTHENING THE
ENABLING ENVIRONMENT
Media are part of a broader political, social, economic and cultural environment. Media operates
as a reflection of this context at the same time that they contribute to shaping this context.
As the environment changes, new considerations arise as to how the media operates and how
society interacts with media.
For the purposes of this publication, the enabling opinions is fundamental to these principles. This right,
environment shall refer to external factors which however, co-exists with other fundamental rights
have direct or indirect influence on media structures, that individuals hold, including the rights to not be
practices and content. An enabling environment is key discriminated against or violated. Government and
to ensuring a gender sensitive media content which media in this context need to balance these rights,
can significantly contribute to the prevention of vio- including through (self) regulation.
lence against women and girls and social awareness
around it. Strengthening the enabling environment
entails multi-layered interventions which can include: Understanding how this works
Media regulation refers to the overall process of pro-
• Recalling states’ obligations to international com- viding parameters or guidance through codes and
mitments with regards to gender equality and procedures, applied by governments and other po-
women’s empowerment, including as it relates to litical and administrative authorities to various media
media, to ensure their translation into concrete laws activities (University of Leicester. ND).
and strategies.
Regulatory frameworks could be formal or informal.
• Advocating for regulatory frameworks (including Formality is defined by three aspects: 1) whether or
self-regulation) to increase the participation and ac- not it is established in law; 2) whether provisions carry
cess of women to expression and decision-making in enforceable penalties (financial or otherwise); and 3)
and through media; to increase more equitable and whether it is permanent or temporary. Formal regula-
safer access to new technologies of communication; tions could provide obligatory instructions about the
and to promote a balanced and non-stereotyped por- structure, conduct or content of media. As an example,
trayal of women throughout media. regulations could serve to limit monopoly ownership
or media cross-ownership; to control the amount of
• Ensuring a high level of media literacy among advertising on television or to set requirements to
the population at large, with special attention to receiving license for television or radio. Legal require-
young people in order to foster critical thinking and ments of general application de facto help to regulate
analysis of media that is consumed, especially as it media, including prohibitions against libel and defa-
relates to content that is discriminatory, violent and mation, laws protecting privacy, laws concerning
harmful. intellectual property rights, and prohibitions against
incitement to violence or racial hatred, pornography
4.1 Regulatory Frameworks or obscenity. Specific media regulatory frameworks
Media are fundamental to the principles of could in some cases provide guidelines for media pro-
freedom and democracy. Securing the right of in- fessionals, such as in the UK (Article 19, No Date) or set
dividuals to express themselves and voice their clear prohibitions on specific types of content, such as

in New Zealand (Government of New Zealand, 2018) human rights may be covered, however, the major-
which includes a prohibition on portrayal of cases of ity of regulatory frameworks do not include or have
domestic violence. weak provisions related to discrimination based on
gender. In some instances, provisions from different
Informal regulations and self-regulation are based parts of the legislative framework may contradict one
on voluntary compliance, which often result from another or come into conflict. For example, research
increasing pressures toward compliance from col- with media professionals from Australia found that
leagues, clients, audiences, advertisers and other laws related to court reporting, contempt and other
industry stakeholders. Leading media bodies (national, aspects within the Family Violence Protection Act,
regional, international) may also be important part- made it difficult for news reporters covering cases
ners in this regard, even if they do not enjoy complete of domestic violence to situate these cases within a
regulatory reach among their constituencies. broader context of gender-based violence and pre-
cluded them from sharing certain information as
it related to perpetrators (Sutherland et al., 2017).
Regulation on addressing violence against Regulatory processes often take time and may not be
women keeping pace with contextual changes. For example,
The majority of countries maintain dedicated do- innovation and expansion of ICTs, which have opened
mestic legislation to address intimate partner or tremendous opportunities for public communication
domestic violence, sexual violence and sexual harass- (e.g. through private and instantaneous chat applica-
ment (Tavares and Wodon, 2018). These laws, however, tions, video production and dissemination and social
only address media in a few cases. Within legislation networking platforms), have also posed new chal-
addressed specifically to the media, some forms of lenges to protecting women from abuse and holding
discrimination (e.g. racial, religious) and violations of perpetrators accountable.
Examples of National Mechanisms to address Gender Discrimination and Violence in Media

and Communications
Belgium’s National Action Plan to Combat all forms of Gender Based Violence (2015-2019) referred to the
importance of self-regulation and the need for training for media professionals to address sexism in the
media (Government of Belgium, 2015).
In Morocco, the government established an arbitration commission to deal with cases of women journal-
ists and their employers; requires reporting on gender equality activities of institutions under the Ministry
of Communication (e.g. statistics on women journalists); has adopted charters and editorial policies to
promote respect for women’s rights and a guide on gender stereotyping in media for public television
stations (United Nations, 2017). In 2018, a law was passed including provisions on fines that will be levied
for gender-based defamation against women and should any person who intentionally shares (including
through technology) someone’s private or confidential information, statements or pictures without their
approval (Government of Morocco, 2018).
The Slovak Republic’s National Action Plan for the Prevention and Elimination of Violence against Women
(2014–2019) included the need to track violence against women in the media and advertising based on
annual monitoring to increase the effectiveness of media law and self-regulation. The plan also includes
training activities on tackling violence against women and gender equality for professionals in the media
(Government of the Slovak Republic, 2014).

Tanzania’s National Plan of Action for the Prevention and Eradication of Violence against Women and
Children (2001–2015) mandated a range of measures in order to achieve gender-sensitive reporting of
cases of violence against women and children without perpetuating gender stereotypes, including train-
ing of media personnel on women’s human rights and violence against women.
Timor-Leste’s National Action Plan on Gender based violence (2017-2021) includes the role of the media
in promoting gender equality and zero tolerance towards GBV. The plan proposes to achieve this through
1) the development of a code of conduct on gender sensitive reporting, including ethical guidelines on
reporting gender-based violence but also disciplinary action in case of breach of the code, 2) the insti-
tutionalization of mandatory annual trainings on human rights, gender equality and gender sensitive
reporting on gender-based violence and 3) the development and implementation of a media tool to moni-
tor the reporting on gender-based violence and portrayal of women (Government of Timor-Leste, 2017).
Spain’s National Plan to Heighten Awareness and Prevent Gender-Based Violence: Conceptual Framework
and Main Lines of Intervention (2007– 2008) included: actions to promote and distribute best practice
guidelines on media reporting and awards for best practices in advertising; strategies to establish strong
partnership structures between government and media/ advertising industries; the creation of an
Advisory Committee on the image of women to analyze how women are treated in advertising; extension
of self-regulation agreements in advertising; development of agreements with publicly-owned media to
promote non-sexist content and the active participation of women in all areas of life; a self-regulation pact
that will guarantee that news items are treated objectively and that they transmit the values of equality
and reject this type of violence; extension of the Self-regulation Agreement for television operators on the
subject of protection of minors to include gender-based violence and discrimination for reasons of sex;
and conventions with Audiovisual Regulatory Authorities to establish collaboration procedures to eradi-
cate from programming and advertising all direct or indirect encouragement of gender-based violence.
Addressing violence against women in the media of the rights or reputations of others; (b) For the pro-
through domestic legislation and regulation must tection of national security or of public order or of
be approached very carefully, with thoughtful con- public health or morals (ICCPR Article 19). This applies
sideration of other rights and freedoms (e.g. freedom across mediums (e.g. print, audio, video, digital, etc.)
of speech and expression; access to information; and content types (e.g. news, entertainment, advertis-
and the right to privacy) that are at the foundation ing, social media, etc.).
of fostering democratic, inclusive and more equal
societies. Exceptions to these rights and freedoms are Legislation and regulation around online or digital
necessary when words or images pose a danger to content has proven especially challenging to address
individuals (when asserting one’s rights compromises given the various private and public stakeholders
and harms the rights of another), peace and the rule involved (individuals, internet intermediaries, gov-
of law (OSCE, 2008). The International Covenant on ernment) and the unique context (e.g. transnational
Civil and Political Rights states that the exercise of the communication and jurisdictional issues; public do-
rights of freedom of expression carries with it special mains versus ‘private’ communications through apps/
duties and responsibilities. It may therefore be subject texting) within which this form of communication ex-
to certain restrictions, but these shall only be such as ists. Online violence and harassment were previously
are provided by law and are necessary: (a) For respect omitted from discussions of violence against women,

Regulation Self-Regulation Guidance
No gender Portrayal of ICC code in full Specific rules Gender stereo- No Rules
discrimination gender in or as basis/or re. gender types
in ads advertising similar stereotypes
Belgium Norway Australia Finland Belgium Cyprus

France Spain Bulgaria Ireland France The Czech Republic
Finland Finland Germany Bulgaria The Netherlands
Greece France India Canada Turkey
Hungary Greece Italy Sweden
Ireland Ireland Austria USA
UK Lithuania South Africa
Luxembourg New Zealand
Portugal
Romania
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
UK
Sourced by WFA from ASA's Depictions and Harm: A report on gender stereotypes in advertising. July 2017
but have come into sharper focus since 2016. While Self-regulatory organizations and standards bodies
this form of violence seems to be on the rise, response for advertising are also taking action to promote
to ICT-mediated violence remains insufficient as legal and respect healthy and progressive portrayals of
frameworks addressing this specific form of violence gender. The European Advertising Standards Alliance
are either non-existent or not enforced. There is a (EASA) consisting of 14 industry bodies and 27 self-
need for clear self-regulatory frameworks to govern regulating organizations has committed to ensuring
internet and ensure it is a safe space which respects that women and men are portrayed responsibly
women’s rights (World Wide Web Foundation, 2015). (WFA, 2018).
Examples of media regulation related to gender discrimination and violence against women
In Botswana, a code of the media council under the Media Practitioners Act 2008, states that media insti-
tutions should not identify victims of gender-based violence unless they have supplied consent and bans
presenting content which could incite hatred based on gender.
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has enacted regulations stating
that broadcasters must not broadcast any “comment or abusive pictorial representation” that could “ex-
pose an individual or a group or class of individuals to hatred or contempt on the basis of… sex or sexual
orientation”; and that they must ban unjustifiable and uncalled-for stereotypes, present women and men
of different ages, or different appearances, of different opinions and interests, in a variety of tasks and
roles, including non-traditional ones; in journalistic programs, seek women’s opinions, as well as men’s,

on the full range of public issues; and strive to reach a balance in the use of women’s and men’s voices
in voice-overs. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/media-and-the-law; http://www.cbc.
radio-canada.ca/en/reporting-to-canadians/acts-and-policies/programming/program-policies/1-1-3
In India, the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 has both a “Programme Code” and an
“Advertising Code” which both ban content which “denigrates women”.
The Press Council of Pakistan, a statutory body, includes 19 members from different sectors of the print
media, as well as civil society, including representatives of women’s groups. Their code of ethics addresses
content which incites hatred against women, as well as a clause preventing the identification of victims of
sexual offences against women and children.
In the United Kingdom, the Committee for Advertising Practice (CAP) and the Broadcast Committee of
Advertising Practice (BCAP) produced a regulation for the industry stating that “[Advertisements] must not
include gender stereotypes that are likely to cause harm, or serious or widespread offence,” following a report
on the harm that gender stereotypes in advertising contribute to. This rule goes into effect in June 2019.
Resources:
The Media Self-Regulation Guidebook (OSCE): http://www.osce.org/fom/31497?download=true
Online Harassment: A comparative Policy Analysis for Hollaback: https://www.ihollaback.org/app/up-

loads/2016/12/Online-Harassment-Comparative-Policy-Analysis-DLA-Piper-for-Hollaback.pdf
Submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Experssion on ‘Content Regulation in the Digital
Age’: https://www.article19.org/resources/submission-un-special-rapporteur-content-regulation-digital-age/
Countering Online Hate Speech (UNESCO): https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000233231
4.2 Research and Monitoring • To inform normative processes, fill gaps and hold
governments accountable to commitments they
Research and monitoring are key components to any have made in this area.
programme or initiative engaging with the media.
It is this data and information that provides insight • To connect directly with journalists, editors and
into how the industry is performing- the progress media owners.
that has been made and the gaps that still exist.
Research and monitoring can be used for a number • To engage in public campaigns and education initia-
of purposes: tives (e.g. media literacy and community dialogues)
that challenge prevailing social norms and gender
• To highlight practices that are good and to call at- stereotypes that condone inequality, discrimination
tention to those institutional practices and content and violence.
that are problematic and need attention.
• To provide substance for training and programme
development.

The Global Media Monitoring Project
World Association for Christian Communication (WACC)
The Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP), overseen by the World Association for Christian
Communication (WACC), is the largest and longest longitudinal study on gender in the media worldwide,
with network partners in over 100 countries. Since 1995, it has been conducting highly participatory and
highly visible assessments of the media every five years, tracking progress on gender equality. This initia-
tive has spurred a movement across regions, equipping its participating organizations with the skills and
tools to engage in this work on a regular basis.
The project has undertaken the following activities:
• Mapping the representation and portrayal of women in the world’s news media
• Developed a grassroots research instrument
• Built solidarity among gender and communication groups worldwide
• Created media awareness through advocacy, campaigns and dialogue
• Developed media monitoring skills on an international level
The project provides a useful repository of women’s representation in the media, and its findings can be
used to argue about the role of the media in portraying society in all of its diversity, rather than perpetuat-
ing harmful gender stereotypes. The findings of the project research can prove a useful foundation for
a discussion with news/ entertainment or social media. The methodology and research instruments of
the GMMP are freely available in three languages. They are user-friendly and easily adaptable to the local
context to facilitate independent monitoring of media reporting.
For more information, see: http://whomakesthenews.org/
To access the tools, see: http://whomakesthenews.org/media-monitoring/methodology-guides-and-

coding-tools

Advisory Media Forum (Albania)
UN Women in Albania, with funding from the European Union, launched an Advisory Media Forum for
reporting on trafficking of girls and women. The forum currently has 30 members/journalists from ma-
jor media outlets and has provided a platform to increase accurate and ethical reporting. A manual and
a practical toolkit have been produced on reporting trafficking cases, as well as two media monitoring
reports for 2014 and 2015, on print and electronic media. A competition was held in 2014, in collaboration
with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, for the best articles on human trafficking in the national media. The
awarded journalists were invited to become part of a global training in Kiev, Ukraine in November 2015.
A review of the programme stated that UN Women’s work with the media in Albania has resulted in in-
creased gender-sensitive media reporting on trafficked women and girls, as well as in increased community
sensitivity to women and girls facing and surviving trafficking, as a result of campaigns and workshops
reaching 20,000 citizens nationwide.
For more information, see: http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2016/3/breaking-the-cycle-of-

human-trafficking-in-albania
Just the Women (United Kingdom)

In the UK, a group of four women’s organizations worked together in 2012 to monitor all national news-
papers’ portrayal of women and VAWG over a two-week period. Workers and volunteers read every page
of every national newspaper for two weeks and noted the quantity and quality of any coverage related to
VAWG, including the reporting of crime stories, political stories, feature stories and interviews, and even
elements of advertising used alongside these articles. A summary report was produced which found: (1)
minimising and sensationalising coverage of VAWG, and (2) racist-sexist portrayals of women in multiple
media outlets, at a time when media regulation was under scrutiny. The results formed a key part of the
response of women’s organizations to the debate about press reform in the UK. The report was used to
engage with journalists, editors, politicians and the wider public, and to create broader, ongoing conversa-
tions about how media portrayals contribute to ‘permission-giving’ for VAWG. It was regularly cited by
media commentators and politicians and influenced the work of other women’s groups challenging me-
dia portrayals of VAWG.
For more information, see: http://www.endviolenceagainstwomen.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Just-the-

Women-Nov-2012.pdf
Indicators are specific, observable and measurable contextualized for various national settings to con-
characteristics that can be used to show changes duct research and determine the baseline or country
or progress in an initiative. For media organizations, context against various areas of concern. Tracking
global indicators have been advanced for assessing data against these indicators over time, shows if in-
performance on gender equality and for the safety terventions are having a positive impact on equality
of journalists. These indicators can be used and and safety.

UNESCO Gender-Sensitive Indicators for Media (GSIM)
In 2012, UNESCO, in cooperation with the International Federation of Journalists and other partners
launched a global framework of gender-sensitive indicators to guide the media in assessing its perfor-
mance on gender equality. The indicators comprise critical areas of concern, including:
• Fostering Gender Equality within Media Organizations

o Gender balance at decision-making level
o Gender equality in work and work conditions
o Gender equality in unions, associations, clubs and organizations of journalists, other media profession-
als and media self-regulatory bodies
o Media organizations promote ethical codes and policies in favour of gender equality in media content
o Gender balance in education and training
• Gender Portrayal in Media Content

o Gender portrayal in news and current affairs
o Gender portrayal in advertising
Specific indicators on violence against women include:
• Use of non-judgmental language or victim/survivor-blaming for acts of VAW, as well as distinguishing

between consensual sexual activity and criminal acts
• Use of the term ‘survivor’ rather than ‘victim’ unless the violence-affected woman or girl uses the latter
term or has not survived.
• Identification of women and girls affected by gender-based violence as sources of information, with
their evident consent.
• Percentage of stories that: 1) invade privacy and/or 2) denigrate dignity, of the victim/survivor of violence.
• Use of background information and statistics to present gender-based violence as a societal problem
rather than as an individual, personal tragedy.
• Inclusion of local contact information for support organizations and services available for victims/survi-
vors of violence.
• Proportion of time or space and prominence given to stories on gender-based violence in relation to
other stories.
To see the full list of indicators, visit: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/

resources/publications-and-communication-materials/publications/full-list/gender-sensitive-indicators-for-
media-framework-of-indicators-to-gauge-gender-sensitivity-in-media-operations-and-content/

UNESCO Journalists’ Safety Indicators
International level Indicator Categories
• UN organizations promote journalists’ safety issues at the international level
• International and regional intergovernmental organizations promote journalists’ safety issues at the
international level
• International Non-governmental Organizations (INGOs) promote journalists’ safety issues at the inter-
national level
National level Indicator Categories
• General indicators
• State institutions and political actors
• Civil society organizations and academia
• Media actors and intermediaries
• UN and other international organizations
To see the full list of indicators and the accompanying implementation guidebook, visit: https://en.unesco.
org/themes/safety-of-journalists/journalists-safety-indicators
Monitoring implementation of resolutions is an- 4.3 Media and Information Literacy

other entry point for holding government and
media houses accountable. For example, the Global
(MIL)
Network Defending and Promoting Freedom of Empowerment of women and girls (and men and
Expression (IFEX) provides practical suggestions for boys) through media and information literacy is
civil society and partners on how to engage with hu- critical in fostering equitable access to information
man rights bodies to strengthen implementation of and knowledge and providing the skills needed to
commitments. navigate and engage with the content being dis-
seminated through various channels (print, audio,
https://ifex.org/campaign_toolkit/build_it/ video, digital, etc.). This is especially important given
the volume of information and images, including, but
not limited to, explicitly harmful content (e.g. pornog-
raphy, misogynistic, degrading and violent material)
that is easily accessible through the internet and on
mobile devices.
This is particularly worrying for young people, given

the detrimental impacts repeated exposure has on
the brain during this critical developmental stage.

Pornography, the Internet and Young People (Australia)
Researchers in Australia surveyed 692 youth ages 13-16 to better understand their use of the internet and
exposure to harmful material. Alarmingly, it was found that over 90% of the surveyed boys and 60% of
girls in this age group had seen pornography online. Complementary research on the industry itself, found
that the nature of pornography that youth were exposed to had changed from years past, with scenes
that included verbal (48%) and physical (88%) aggression, the latter characterized by slapping, gagging
and choking. In 94% of cases, these acts of aggression were directed at female performers. The research-
ers stated that 30% of all internet traffic is porn-related with no differentiation between those who had
restricted access compared to those with unrestricted access, indicating that exposure to this harmful
material is mainstream.
Exposure to pornography has a number of detrimental effects on youth who are at a critical developmen-
tal stage and whose neurological connections in the brain are still being formed. Pornography conveys a
number of problematic messages that impact on the knowledge, expectations and behaviours of young
people. These include:
• Distorted views of the relationship between intimacy and sex.

• Eroticization of violence against women.
• Notions that consent is not necessary or can be obtained with perseverance.
• Distorted views of what the average body/body parts look like.
• Fabricated and exaggerated expressions of pleasure during violent, humiliating and degrading acts.
• Discriminatory portrayals of gender and race.
In 2016, the Department of Social Services engaged the Australian Institute of Family Studies to con-
solidate the research and evidence-base on the effects of pornography on children and young people to
articulate the impacts and recommend strategies for addressing the problem. The report acknowledged
that to address the issue comprehensively, it is important to situate it within a broader framework of
primary prevention and the sexual safety and well-being of children and young people that is based on
child development, sexual crime prevention, prevention education, and legal and regulatory measures. The
specific strategies entail:
- legal and regulatory avenues to existing legislation regarding online pornography
- education for children and young people; and
- education and resources for teachers and parents.
For detailed information related to the context, impacts and approaches, see: http://www.itstimewetalked.
com.au/ and https://aifs.gov.au/publications/effects-pornography-children-and-young-people/export
Sources: A Bridges, R Wosnitzer, E Scharrer, C Sun & R Liberman. 2010. Aggression and Sexual Behaviour in
Best-selling Pornography Videos: A Content Analysis Update. Violence against Women, vol. 16, no. 10; MJ
Fleming, S Greentree, D Cocotti-Muller, K A Elias & S Morrison. 2006.Safety in cyberspace: Adolescents
safety and exposure online. Youth and Society, vol. 38, no. 2.; S Anthony. 2012. Just How Big Are Porn Sites?
http://www.extremetech.com; It’s time to Talk. 2014. http://www.itstimewetalked.com.au/

“The constant exposure of populations to media pres- and deconstructing a text based on principles of logic
ents an educational challenge, which has increased in are teachable skills. Media literacy instruction is not
the electronic and digital age. Evaluating information widely recognized for its importance as an aspect of
sources requires skills and critical thinking and is an civic and peace education and therefore few instruc-
educational responsibility the importance of which is tional programs have been developed as part of basic
often underestimated. Separating fact from opinion, modern education” (UNAOC, No Date).
evaluating text and image for bias, and constructing
Social learning with MIL CLICKS a social media innovation on media and information
literacy
A girl decided to shut down her Instagram page because random strangers keep leaving insulting com-
ments under her photos. Another girl feels ridiculed and bullied while scrolling down her Facebook timeline
and seeing her friend shares a meme mocking girls who appear gender-nonconforming. The advent of
social media made these stories commonplace. According to a survey conducted by Opinium for the chil-
dren’s charity Plan International UK, involving 1,002 young people aged between 11 and 18, half of UK girls
are bullied on social media (The Guardian, 2017).
Social media has become a central station where images full of gender stereotypes, sexist comments,
misogynist posts, and other types of inappropriate gender-related speech accumulate and are extremely
easy to access and share. Women and girls are therefore frequently exposed to online harassment and
cyber bullying on social media. These occurrences sometimes even lead to offline violence and discrimina-
tion, such as aggressions in schools and unequal treatment at workplaces. This situation is particularly
challenging for young girls who are still shaping their worldviews and learning about gender roles. Hence,
it is critical to equip them with media and information literacy competencies, in order that they know how
to respond to online hate, what content is appropriate to share and what is not, how to optimize their
social media settings in order to avoid undesired content and harassment etc.
In early 2017, MIL CLICKS was brought to the world in this context as a powerful response, aiming to
empower social media users, especially youth, with MIL competencies. It is a way for people to acquire
MIL knowledge competencies in their normal day-to-day use of the Internet and social media and to
engage in peer education in an atmosphere of browsing, playing, connecting, sharing, and socializing.
It was launched by UNESCO, with the support of Saudi Arabia, European Commission, and the Swedish
International Development Agency (SIDA).
MIL CLICKS develops and shares various forms of educational resources, including research findings, best
practices, useful tools and practical tips. Through periodical thematic campaigns, MIL CLICKS tackles many
MIL-related issues that increasingly concern our citizens, including “identify and countering gender ste-
reotypes with MIL”. The MIL CLICKers, those who embrace the values and principles of MIL CLICKS and
are learning MIL with MIL CLICKS, are strong and assertive on social media while confronted with hate,
intolerance, and violence when their gender role or that of others is concerned. They know how to act and
voice their opinion in a place often hostile and aggressive for women and girls.

MIL CLICKS is currently available on Facebook, Twitter consuming as it relates to gender, power, stereo-
and Instagram. Learn more about MIL CLICKS and the types, violence, sexuality, discrimination and other
MIL CLICKers Pact: https://en.unesco.org/milclicks. ideas that permeate social structures and are often
transmitted through media on and off line. The be-
Imparting media and information literacy compe- low table outlines the core competencies for media
tencies to women/girls and men/boys enables them and information literacy along with the expected
to be critical about and challenge material they are benefits.

Enlisting media and informational literacy for gender equality and women’s empowerment
(UNESCO, 2014)

Resources on media and information literacy with publications-and-communication-materials/
gender equality integrated: publications/full-list/media-and-information-
literacy-curriculum-for-teachers/
UNAOC Media and Information Literacy
Clearinghouse - https://milunesco.unaoc.org/ UNESCO Media and Policy and Strategy
welcome/ Guidelines, http://www.unesco.org/new/en/
communication-and-information/resources/
UNESCO Media and Information Literacy publications-and-communication-materials/
Site Pages– https://en.unesco.org/themes/ publications/full-list/media-and-information-
media-and-information-literacy literacy-policy-and-strategy-guidelines/
UNESCO Media and Information Media Education Foundation Resources

Literacy Curriculum for Teachers- - https://shop.mediaed.org/all-gender--culture-
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/ c68.aspx
communication-and-information/resources/

4.4 Networks and treatment of women for decades, pushing for
changes within international, regional and national
Media portrayals of women have been a concern for normative/legislative frameworks and advocating
women’s rights advocates as far back as the 1970s. for changes within media organizations themselves.
Today, women’s groups remain at the forefront of These groups have used research and monitoring at
national advocacy, continuing to raise visibility on global, regional and national levels to regularly assess
gender stereotypes and degrading portrayals of wom- the performance of media organizations (public and
en and girls, unequal terms of employment, the safety private) against agreed commitments and obligations
of women journalists and human rights defenders to promote accountability in this area. The evolv-
and abuse faced by women and girls online. National ing knowledge-base is also used to showcase good
efforts to promote gender equality in and through the practices and to advocate for further development of
media sector include: monitoring gender equality in normative frameworks and their implementation.
media content and company performance, advocacy,
training, policy development, media production and Networks of professional media workers invested in
awards ceremonies. The expansion of communica- gender equality are a valuable mechanism for pre-
tions tools and interconnectedness has enabled vention of violence against women. There are often
networks to transcend borders, with movements networks of media workers, for example, within jour-
that span entire regions and the formation of vibrant nalists’ trade unions with women’s or other relevant
global alliances. In Latin America alone, for example, subcommittees, which can offer a space for media
there are now countless monitoring networks, linked outlets and groups working to prevent VAWG to share
together since 2007 in the Red Latinoamericana de expertise and form partnerships.
Observatorios de Medios (Red Latinoamericana de
Observatorios de Medios Comunicacion 2007). Mapping stakeholders, relevant groups and their
networks can identify other actors who would like to
Social activism and advocacy have been central to engage with the media VAWG prevention work. This
promoting gender equality in and through media. provides opportunities for partnerships in approaching
Women’s rights groups have been raising aware- media partners and can generate additional interest
ness of the industry’s discriminatory portrayal for media outlets to engage with a wider network.
The World Association of Community Radios (AMARC)
The World Association of Radio Community Broadcasters (AMARC) is an international non-governmental

organization serving the community radio movement, with almost 4,000 members and associates in 150
countries. AMARC aims to support and contribute to the development of community and participatory
radio along with the principles of solidarity and international cooperation. AMARC also hosts the Women’s
International Network (AMARC-WIN), a large assembly of women’s communicators working to ensure
women’s right to communicate through and within the community radio movement.
In 2015, AMARC partnered with UN Women 20 years after the Beijing Declaration to reflect on the prog-
ress or setbacks achieved towards gender equality. AMARC and UN Women produced an international
radio campaign related to Beijing+20. The audio series offers a comparative perspective between 1995 and
2015: from where we were, to where we are now, featuring stories from participating producers around
the world. The campaign aimed to enhance the understanding of the issues from the Beijing Platform

for Action and to highlight what changed for women since the Conference held in Beijing 20 years ago.
Additionally, enhance the understanding of the issues from the Beijing Platform for Action and to high-
light what changed for women since the Conference held in Beijing 20 years ago.
AMARC offers comprehensive information on how to use audio, video and print media; how to con-
duct evaluations; links to media networks in all regions; and a collaboration space for members.
To access the resources, see: http://www.amarc.org/
The learn more about the collaboration with UN Women, see: http://www.amarc.org/unwomen-home
Apart from organizations and civil society groups • Women journalist networks.
working directly on VAWG, other groups to consider
for partnerships include: • Independent media producers.
• Civil society groups and NGOs, including those who • Media trade unions and/or broadcast/print media
represent specific groups (e.g. indigenous women associations.
and girls, women living with disabilities, women
living with HIV, adolescents, migrants, ethnic/racial • Media self-regulatory bodies.
minorities, etc.). and organisers of campaigns on hu-
man rights and equality. • Universities and training institutions focused on
gender or media issues.
• Human Rights Commissions and human rights
NGOs who may already be organized and are cam- • Other media professionals.
paigning on human rights and equality.
Groups may be drawn together through an invitation
• Frontline services, such as health, police, justice or to join a network with long-term ongoing work or may
shelter providers. bring specific partners together to undertake a targeted
project (e.g. a campaign). The strength of such networks
• Local independent activists or campaigners. resides in its partnership approach from the outset,
which makes collaboration more likely. The media is en-
• Women’s community groups. gaged as a member in this partnership, rather than as a
target, alongside groups working to end VAWG.

Networking for Better Coverage (Australia)
In 2002 in Australia, with funding from philanthropists and local government began work to address
the non-gender sensitive media reporting of family violence. A toolkit for media on how to report family
violence was developed with the belief that training media on the issue would address the reporting
challenges. It was quickly recognized that a more comprehensive, strategic and collaborative approach
was required to address these challenges, including tight deadlines for journalists to report or beliefs that
VAWG is either about isolated incidents of abuse or is simply the result of a minority group’s culture.
A strategic framework was published in 2007 with a revised and expanded version in 2015, with the support
of a cross-sector committee of family violence, sexual assault and community services workers, journalists,
academics, police, and government. The framework outlined a range of complementary initiatives, across
various sectors, to instigate change in media awareness and in people’s ability to provide information on
VAWG to media. Initiatives included supporting and training women to speak out to the media on their ex-
periences of violence, training VAWG-sector staff to work more effectively with journalists and editors on
the issue, creating newsworthy events on VAWG, and supporting media to examine gender issues within
their industry and how these may affect reporting. The framework and its initiatives have been critical
tools for creating a more unified ‘story’ about VAWG for the news media, and Australia has made notable
changes in reporting on family violence and violence against women and girls since this work started.
For more information, see: http://dvvic.org.au/publications/working-with-news-and-social-media-to-

prevent-violence-against-women-and-their-children-a-strategic-framework-for-victoria/
Global alliances on gender and media have emerged that can be useful for monitoring, training and advo-
in a big way since 2013 to provide platforms for groups cacy; allow for relationship building and engagement
to engage in a structured manner on a regular basis in international processes (e.g. reporting against
towards specific outcomes. These alliances connect human rights mechanisms or participation in large-
hundreds of members from diverse countries. They scale events, such as the Commission on the Status of
serve various functions, including: as knowledge hubs Women) and to undertake joint advocacy; and provide
from which to draw data and information on media broader visibility for promising practices.
practice and content; house tools and approaches

Illustrative Global Alliances/Compacts/Networks
Global Alliance on Media and Gender (GAMAG): Launched in 2013 by UNESCO, the independent Alliance
works to promote gender equality in and through media. Its objectives include: to pursue gender equality in
media systems, structures and content by strengthening international, regional and national cooperation
in which all stakeholders work together to drive change globally; to follow-up, build on and systemati-
cally monitor implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action: ‘Women and the Media
Diagnosis’, and its strategic objectives; and to develop and sustain gender and media priorities within a
broad donor, government and development agency funding framework. Over 700 media organizations
and individuals working on gender and media have joined. To learn more and join, visit: https://gamag.net/
Global Alliance for Partnerships on Media and Information Literacy (GAPMIL): Launched in 2013 and
hosted by UNESCO, GAPMIL promotes international cooperation to ensure that all citizens have access
to media and information competencies. The core objectives are: to articulate key strategic partnerships
to drive media and information literacy in development focused on nine major themes (governance,
citizenship and freedom of expression; access to information and knowledge for all citizens; develop-
ment of media, libraries, Internet and other information providers; education, teaching, and learning;
linguistic and cultural diversity as well as intercultural and interfaith dialogue; women, children and
youth, persons with disabilities and other marginalized social groups; health and wellness; business,
industry, employment and sustainable economic development; and agriculture, farming, wildlife pro-
tection, forestry and natural resources conservation) and to enable the media and literacy community
to speak and address, with a unified voice, certain critical matters, including the need for policies; and
further deepening the strategy for media and information literacy to be treated as a composite concept
by providing a common platform for stakeholders and associations globally. To learn more and join, visit:
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/media-development/media-literacy/
global-alliance-for-partnerships-on-media-and-information-literacy/
International Association of Women in Radio & Television (IAWRT): is a global organization formed
by women working in electronic and allied media aiming to strengthen initiatives towards ensuring
women’s views and values are integral part of programming and to advance the impact of women in
media by: providing opportunities, sharing strategies and contributing to the development of women
in broadcasting by sharing professional and technical knowledge; facilitating unique opportunities to
exchange views and share experiences with the world’s media professionals; and offering professional
skills in training with a focus on gender perspective in programmes, development issues and manage-
ment. The Association organizes international and regional conferences, workshops and trainings for
the professional development of its members; distributes awards of excellence to honour the creativity
of women producers of outstanding radio and TV programmes; maintains a scholarship fund to support
media studies; and supports productions, training and projects for women in developing countries. To
learn more, see: https://www.iawrt.org/about
Media and Information Literacy and Intercultural Dialogue Network (UNITWIN Cooperation): Launched
in 2011 and hosted by UNESCO, the Media and Information Literacy and Intercultural Dialogue University
Network (MILID Network) unites universities involved in media and information literacy (MIL) from
around the world. It aims to give impetus to research that can inform policies on MIL and intercultural
dialogue. As of February 2019, it has 40 member and associate-member universities from all the regions.

The MILID Network stands firm in advancing gender equality through the lens of MIL. In cooperation
with the MILID Network, UNESCO and partners advance collaborative knowledge development and
publish the MILID Yearbook annually since 2013. Each year the gender dimensions of MIL and intercul-
tural dialogue is addressed. MIL’s as a tool to promote gender equality and human rights was one of the
central themes, notably in its 2016 edition “Media and Information Literacy: Reinforcing Human Rights,
Countering Radicalization and Extremism”, and its 2015 edition “Media and Information Literacy for the
Sustainable Development Goals”. For more information and to join, visit: https://en.unesco.org/themes/
media-and-information-literacy/gapmil/milidnetwork.
Step It Up for Gender Equality Media Compact: Launched in 2016 by UN Women, the Compact is an alli-
ance of media organizations that have committed to championing women’s rights and gender equality
issues. The commitments include: highlight women’s rights and gender equality issues through editorial
articles, features and news coverage; ensure production of high-quality stories with a focus on gender
equality and women’s rights, with a minimum of two per month; ensure inclusion of women as sources
in stories produced, aiming for gender parity, including across diverse subjects such as business, technol-
ogy, science and engineering; adopt a gender-sensitive code of conduct on reporting; in orientation and
training of staff members, ensure guidelines for gender-sensitive reporting; through gender-responsive
decision-making, enable equality in the newsrooms by ensuring women journalists are given similar
opportunities as their male colleagues and can cover diverse subjects from politics to business, science,
sports and technology, while encouraging male journalists to also cover diverse issues, including women’s
rights and gender equality stories; and ensure women journalists are provided mentors and guidance for
career advancement. For more information and to join, visit: http://www.unwomen.org/en/get-involved/
step-it-up/media-compact
Unstereotype Alliance: The Unstereotype Alliance is convened by UN Women and brings together a pow-
erful global coalition of more than 30 industry leaders behind the common goal of eliminating gender
bias and harmful gender stereotypes from their advertising. Through developing new standards and tools,
the Alliance seeks to transform and unstereotype advertising; to measure these changes; to contribute
research, tools and knowledge on how to do this; and to inspire the public to reject harmful stereotypes
through communications and outreach. The Alliance is focused on empowering women in all their diver-
sity (race, class, age, ability, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, language, education, etc.) and addressing harmful
masculinities to help create a gender equal world. Challenging harmful stereotypes and promoting posi-
tive representations of women and girls, as well as men and boys is fundamental to changing attitudes
and behaviours. Social norms not only shape perceptions, they shape actions. http://www.unstereotypeal-
liance.org/en
University Twinning and Networking Programme (UniTWIN) on Gender, Media and ICTs: This Network
aims to advance research training and programme development in UNESCO’s fields of competence by
building university networks and encouraging co-operation between gender, media and ICT scholars. The
Network supports education and research on media, information and communication technologies, and
specifically aims to promote gender equality and women’s participation in and through media on a global
scale through: research, education and advocacy; support for training and research on media, information
and communication technologies (ICTs); work to stimulate and showcase some of the most significant
scholarly contributions to knowledge relating to expanding women’s participation in all media platforms.
The Network consists of institutions from across regions. To learn more, visit: http://www.unitwin.net/

4.5 Awards and Recognition
Media awards provide a public platform for recognizing partnership-building/networking. Such media awards
good practices and to celebrate those who are com- exist for gender equality more broadly and for violence
mitted to gender equality within their organizations against women specifically. They can be found at the
and throughout their media content and initiatives. national, regional and global level. Though some may
They can also be an incentive to encourage others to be one-time events, those that are conducted regu-
follow suit; raise awareness of what gender and me- larly (e.g. annually or bi-annually) are better placed
dia entail to a broader audience; increase audiences to influence media practice. Media awards can range
accessing or pursuing better media; and can facilitate from large-scale events to very local events.
Examples of Media Awards

Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity: Known as “The Oscars” of advertising, Cannes Lions has introduced ob-
jectification criteria for all of its juries to consider when judging work submitted to the festival. From 2019,
the jury will be encouraged to reflect upon identifying harmful stereotypes within advertising, building
on the objectification guidelines introduced in 2017. These guidelines will have a significant influence on
content of all kinds and send a strong signal about the importance of reflecting gender equality as criteria
for quality across the board. In addition, Cannes Lions introduced its Glass Lion: The Lion for Change; an
award which specifically recognizes work that challenges gender biases and shatters stereotypical images
of men and women which remain rooted in marketing messages. It is the Festival’s long-held belief that
marketing actively shapes culture, and the launch of the award is part of an on-going commitment to
positively impact the course of communications.
#SeeHer Award for portrayal of strong, complex female characters at the Critics’ Choice Awards recognizes
a woman who embodies the values set forth by the #SeeHer movement, launched by the Association of
National Advertisers with the goal of accurately portraying all women and girls in media by 2020. https://
seeher.com/
Eliminating Violence Against Women Media Awards (Australia): honour journalists for excellence in their re-
porting of violence against women and celebrated news media contributions towards the prevention of vio-
lence against women. http://www.evas.org.au/index.php/what-are-the-evas/about-the-evas-media-awards
The Laadli Media Awards for Gender Sensitivity (India): launched in 2007 with later support from UNFPA,
these awards honour, recognize and celebrate the efforts of those in media and advertising who highlight
pressing gender concerns in India. http://populationfirst.org/Laadli%20Media%20and%20Advertising%20
Awards/M__18
Annual Media Award for Excellence in Reporting on HIV and Gender-Based Violence (Papua New Guinea):
UN Women and UNAIDS are supporting media awards in Papua New Guinea which recognize excellent
journalism on HIV/AIDS and VAWG and the critical connections between the two. The awards started in
2015 and include support for high quality investigations and photojournalism. Winners in 2016 produced
stories, which highlighted transgender women living with HIV and the case of a woman who was murdered
after being accused of sorcery. News of the awards has been shared widely, allowing all the nominated and
winning entries to find new readers and viewers. http://asiapacific.unwomen.org/en/news-and-events/
stories/2016/12/writing-for-change

Ending Violence Against Women and Girls Media Awards (United Kingdom): aim to recognize exemplary
reporting on violence against women and girls in print, broadcast and online news, features, comment
and documentaries – reporting which explains how and why abuse happens, is respectful of victims and
survivors, and which has an impact on public debate. http://www.endviolenceagainstwomen.org.uk/
campaign/ending-violence-against-women-and-girls-media-awards/
GEM-TECH Awards (Global): launched in 2014 by UN Women and ITU, these awards recognize outstanding
contributions from women and men in leveraging the potential of information and communication tech-
nologies (ICTs) to promote gender equality. https://www.itu.int/en/action/women/gem/Pages/default.aspx
Apart from organised media awards, there are other • Providing positive commentary or indicating “like”
ways to celebrate and show support for gender-sen- on social media
sitive media representation and handling of content
related to violence against women. These include: • Sending written correspondence or email to the
producers
• Naming, ’tagging’ and publicly sharing good media
pieces • Posting on community notice boards or in commu-
nity centres
• Providing positive feedback to media, when re-
porting in a gender-sensitive manner, either for
individual pieces and/or at the end of the month or
year as a regular conversation-provoking activity

5. PROMOTING POSITIVE
INSTITUTIONAL
APPROACHES
Media organizations, like any entity or institution can make a substantial contribution to gender
equality, non-discrimination and non-violence by addressing internal structures, operations and
practices that adhere to, reflect and promote these values. This entails building capacity within
the organization through a range of strategies. Where greater gender parity exists within me-
dia organizations, it has been found that media content reflects a more balanced and diverse
view of women (European Parliament 2018). In this regard, a more gender-equitable organiza-
tion is both an important accomplishment on its own right, in addition to being an important
pathway of influence in the content that shapes social norms, prejudices and stereotypes.
Capacity-building requires a 'whole-of-organization' internet intermediary); the legal frameworks within

approach that considers gender equality and non- which they operate (e.g. regulatory frameworks for
discrimination throughout the systems, structures, public versus private); and the existing level of leader-
staffing and content of media organizations. It en- ship and commitment to gender equality within the
tails undertaking a gender assessment or audit of organization.
the organization; the development and/or revision
of policies and standards; ensuring gender parity in The mapping will help identify which media partners
staffing and decision-making mechanisms; ongoing to approach and for which purpose(s): supporting
training for media personnel; and ensuring the safety institutional change, bringing together a network,
and security of women journalists and human rights campaigning for a specific outcome (e.g. legal or
defenders who are at increased risk of attack for chal- policy change; as part of community mobilization for
lenging social norms related to gender, identity and social norms change, etc.). Media organizations that
power dynamics. This requires having a long-term will be targeted for whole of organization transfor-
vision with ongoing engagement. mation, must undergo a thorough internal gender
assessment or audit. The audit will determine the
5.1 Mapping and Assessment strengths, gaps, challenges and opportunities that
A preliminary step to working with the media is exist throughout the organization across policies,
conducting a mapping of the various media (institu- systems and practices. This information collected
tions and outlets) that exist. The mapping would help then serves as an established baseline highlighting
to identify the channels (e.g. print, television, radio, functional structures and positive practices, as well
online and etc.) that are available; their uptake and as gaps and areas in need of improvement, against
reach by various segments of the population; their which progress can be tracked over time (European
philosophy or approach to information and com- Institute for Gender Equality Gender Audit).
munication; the characteristics of the content that
is developed and disseminated; their organizational
functions and structures (e.g. national newspaper v.

Gender in Education Media Audit (Southern Africa)
Gender Links for Equality and Justice is an NGO based in South Africa that is a founding member of the
UNESCO Global Alliance for Media and Gender. The organization has conducted vast research for catalytic
programming across 14 countries in Southern Africa, assessing progress on gender in and through the
media. It has produced several reports related to gender content in media, employment of women in the
sector, and media literacy for gender. The organization also engages in advocacy, capacity building, media
literacy and networking. In 2010, the organization conducted an audit of media in education programmes
to understand how gender is mainstreamed in journalism and media education and training. As a result
the organization has established centres of excellence for gender and media in 13 countries, which include
work with 100 local councils to integrate gender through policy, capacity building and monitoring and
evaluation to change their structures and the content and practices of their work. Media institutions are
supported to mainstream gender in curriculum and to undertake gender and media research.
For more information on Gender and Media, see: http://genderlinks.org.za/what-we-do/media/research/
For more information on Gender and Media Audits, see: http://genderlinks.org.za/what-we-do/media/

research/gender-in-media-education-audit/
Tools for undertaking a gender audit, assessment or The Gender Audit Handbook A Tool for
analysis: Organizational Self-Assessment and
Transformation - https://www.interaction.
Women’s Empowerment Principles GAPS org/sites/default/files/Gender%20Audit%20
Analysis Tool - https://weps-gapanalysis.org/ Handbook%202010%20Copy.pdf
A manual for gender audit facilitators: The UNESCO’s Gender-Sensitive Indicators for Media
ILO participatory gender audit methodol- (GSIM) - http://www.unesco.org/new/en/
ogy (2nd Edition) - http://www.ilo.org/gender/ communication-and-information/resources/
Informationresources/WCMS_187411/lang--en/ publications-and-communication-materials/
index.htm publications/full-list/gender-sensitive-indicators-for-me-
dia-framework-of-indicators-to-gauge-gender-
sensitivity-in-media-operations-and-content/

5.2 Gender Parity
• Of the top grossing films, only 17% had a female
The Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination lead.
Against Women (1979) requires Member States to
“take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimi- • Male characters received two times the amount of
nation against women in the field of employment screen time as female characters.
in order to ensure, on a basis of equality of men and
women, the same rights” (CEDAW Article 11). The • Male characters spoke two times as often as female
United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women characters in the top box office movies.
(1995) recognized that women in power and decision-
making is a key condition for women’s empowerment • Male characters have dominated nearly three-quar-
and that it is critical “to increase the participation and ters of speaking parts in children’s entertainment,
access of women to expression and decision-making and 83% of film and TV narrators are male.
in and through the media and new technologies of
communication” (Beijing Platform for Action). Though • In film, only 7% of directors, 13% of writers, and 20%
achieving gender parity (equal numbers of men and of producers are female. (This is for film and TV)
women) in the staffing structures and decision-mak-
ing bodies of media organizations is ideal, a thirty per • In Advertising and specifically the creative indus-
cent threshold represents a critical mass for influence. try, research conducted by Free the Bid, the 3%
Movement and the Young Creative Council showed:
Where women’s representation within media has
been tracked, progress has proven to be very slow o In 2008, just 3.6% of the world’s creative directors
with little movement over time. For example, global were female. In 2016, that number tripled to 11% .
tracking of women’s representation as reporters and
presenters in news media shows little to no progress o Only 11.6% of women in the creative industry are
in over a decade. Women reporting stories in newspa- copywriters and 9.6% are art directors.
pers, television and radio newscasts have held steady
at 37 per cent (Global Media Monitoring Project 2015). o Less than 7% of all film directors are women and
In a study surveying over 500 media companies across only 9% of commercials are directed by women.
the globe, it was found that women held only 27 per
cent of the top management positions (International o 70% of young female creatives say they have never
Women’s Media Foundation 2011). The numbers in worked with a female creative director or execu-
ICT firms is even lower, with women only comprising tive creative director.
11 per cent of information security professionals and
20% and less of the tech workforce across some of the o 70% of young female creatives are working in a
top technology and social media firms (ISC and WEF 75% male-dominated department.
2016). The European Women’s Audiovisual Network
found that while women represent almost half of o 60% of young females say they believe advertis-
directors graduating from film schools, the overall ing is a career that doesn’t support young women.
proportion of female directors working in the industry
is less than one-quarter (European Parliament 2018). Increasing women’s participation in the communica-
The Geena Davis Institute has undertaken a vast body tions sector requires dedicated attention in recruitment
of research on women in entertainment media. Some processes, using strategies such as: affirmative action,
of its findings from studies undertaken since 2010 quotas, desirable salaries (that reflect equal pay for
include (Geena Davis Institute): equal work) and benefits, and research and training
that can address unconscious bias and incorrect per-
ceptions around hiring practices of men and women

with equal skills. Retention of women staff involves women for caretaking, but facilitate greater involve-
opportunities for career development and advancement of men in this regard; and recognition of the
ment; mentoring, coaching and sponsoring women sexual and gender-based nature of violence (including
for promotion; respect for women’s decision-making, harassment) that women face in the workplace with
inputs, contributions and leadership styles; flexible appropriate measures to prevent it and provide appro-
working arrangements and parental leave policies that priate recourse mechanisms and remedies for those
both acknowledge the persisting social and cultural who have suffered it with accountability for those who
factors that place a disproportionate responsibility on have perpetrated it (McKinsey, 2015).
Women’s Economic Empowerment Principles
The Women’s Empowerment Principles established by UN Women and the UN Global Compact provide
a concrete set of recommendations to help the private sector focus on key elements integral to promot-
ing gender equality in the workplace, marketplace and community. Enhancing openness and inclusion
throughout corporate policies and operations requires techniques, tools and practices that bring results.
The Women’s Empowerment Principles, forged through an international multi-stakeholder consultative
process, provide a “gender lens” through which business can analyze current initiatives, benchmarks and
reporting practices. Informed by real-life business practices, the Principles help companies tailor existing
policies and practices – or establish needed new ones – to realize women’s empowerment.
The Principles:
• Establish high-level corporate leadership for gender equality.
• Treat all women and men fairly at work - respect and support human rights and non-discrimination.
• Ensure the health, safety and well-being of all women and men workers.
• Promote education, training and professional development for women.
• Implement enterprise development, supply chain and marketing practices that empower women.
• Promote equality through community initiatives and advocacy.
• Measure and publicly report on progress to achieve gender equality.

See the Women’s Empowerment Principles Portal and Resources at:
http://www.empowerwomen.org/WEPS.
Elements to consider in achieving gender balance • Cyclical review and reporting on actions to ensure
among decision makers within media organizations, gender balance at decision-making levels.
include (UNESCO, 2012):
• Effective equal opportunity policies with compre-
• Proportion of women in ownership, business man- hensive implementing measures, targets, timeline
agement and board positions. and monitoring mechanisms.
• Proportion of women holding leadership positions • Equal opportunity policies developed within media
within media (editors-in-chief, editors, heads of de- houses in a cooperative manner and with endorse-
partment, heads of desks). ment of staff.

• Measures/policies adopted for the removal of 5.3 Policies, Protocols and Codes of
all obstacles to equal opportunities and for the
enhancement of women’s work. (e.g. company
Conduct
nurseries, part-time employment; shared and Policies, professional guidelines and protocols are
transparent selection criteria to reach management critical in guiding the practices within a media or-
level, etc.). ganization. They set the operational expectations
and codes of conduct for staff and their professional
• Specific budget to support comprehensive equal engagements. “Gender-focussed media codes of eth-
opportunity policies. ics can potentially institutionalise a different kind of
practice that is cognisant about and responsive to
• Existence of specific quota system for representa- gender concerns. The instruments are a first step to-
tion of women in decision-making. wards professionalising practice from a gender-ethics
perspective” (WACC and IFJ 2012). While certain poli-
• Existence of affirmative actions and affirmative cies may be more commonplace, such as publishing
action committees to increase female presence in and editorial policies that cover gender and gender-
media at all levels of the organizational structure. based violence, others are only beginning to emerge.
In a global survey undertaken by the International
• Proportion of job announcements made in a Federation of Journalists, it was found that only 26%
transparent method, accessible to everyone in the of workplaces had a policy covering gender-based vio-
workplace. lence and sexual harassment (IFJ).
• Publicity of policies on gender balance in Global research found that policies on gender for
decision-making. media exist across an array of countries at the ‘macro
industry’ or ‘association level’, but that this did not
• Efforts to assess awareness of equal opportunities translate to implementable codes and guidelines at
policies. the practitioner level. The same research found that
where regulations do exist, mechanisms for compli-
• Reporting of performance results in relation to ance are lacking due to non-enforcement and no
implementation of equal opportunities policies. recourse (e.g. redress or corrective action) (WACC
and IFJ 2012). These findings indicate that in addition
Resources: to having strong policies in place, it is important to
employ complementary strategies (such as training
UNESCO Gender Sensitive Indicators for Media and accountability mechanisms) to ensure they are
Guide: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/ effectively implemented.
pf0000217831
Gender Equality in Media: https://en.unesco.org/ Sexual Harassment and Domestic

themes/media-diversity-and-gender-equality Violence Policies
Policies on harassment and violence must be gender-
Advancing Gender Equality in Media Industries: responsive and embedded in the reality of the world
https://www.agemi-eu.org/ of work. This requires thinking beyond the immediate
workplace to ‘spaces’ related to the workplace, such
as, offsite work and social engagements, travel to and
from the workplace, and exchanges that take place
via technology (e.g. computers and mobile phones).
It also requires understanding and including other
forms of violence (e.g. domestic violence/intimate

partner violence/family violence) that may be affect- • links to other related policies (e.g. retaliation, family
ing employees which impact the workplace. Policies leave, etc.) and supporting materials.
must acknowledge the gender-based nature of the
violence committed against women, allowing preven- Domestic violence policies (often within collective
tion and responses to tackle the power dynamics and agreements) should broadly include:
imbalances that allow it to occur. Policies must also
reflect the society and staff composition, recognizing • clear and comprehensive definitions;
that women, especially those who face multiple forms
of discrimination based on their identities (e.g. LBTI • an explanation of the national prevalence and con-
women, immigrant women, women from ethnic and sequences (especially as they impact the workplace
racial minorities, etc.) will experience and be affected and co-workers);
by violence and harassment differently. Special consid-
erations and practices need to be put in place also for • the detailed plan or steps that will be taken to
the growing numbers of personnel hired as contractors raise-awareness within the organization on various
or freelancers and who may not be considered staff or aspects of the issue and the policy; specific training
employees, as these individuals would be at increased of managers, security and health focal points related
risk of experiencing sexual harassment. to safety planning and referrals;
Sexual harassment policies should broadly include: • identification of key resource staff and their roles
and responsibilities vis-à-vis the policy;
• a policy statement expressing zero tolerance for ha-
rassment and abuse; • the types of provision, support and safety that the
organization will provide affected staff members; an
• clear and comprehensive definitions based on un- explanation of how the policy will be implemented,
welcomed behaviours that cover, verbal, non-verbal monitored and revised;
and physical interaction;
• and links to other related policies (e.g. family leave)
• examples of prohibited behaviour; and supporting materials.
• prevention measures, including accountability of For illustrative guides and policies on violence and
leaders and engagement/training on gender, dis- harassment, see:
crimination, harassment and violence;
Model Policy on Sexual Harassment (United
• a detailed articulation of the reporting (e.g. confiden- Nations): https://www.unsceb.org/content/
tiality, protection against retaliation) and complaints addressing-sexual-harassment-within-organiza-
procedures available (e.g. formal and informal); tions-un-system
• external legal and judicial mechanisms that are T

owards an end to sexual harassment: The
available in the country; urgency and nature of change in the era of
#MeToo: http://www.unwomen.org/-/media/
• the sanctions and disciplinary measures that can be headquarters/attachments/sections/library/
levied against perpetrators; publications/2018/towards-an-end-to-sexual-
harassment-en.pdf?la=en&vs=4236
• the support that will be provided to survivors by the
organization and through referrals;

Domestic Violence Policies for UNI Affiliated Unions:
http://en.breakingthecircle.org/descargas/en/
• an explanation of how the policy will be implement- man/violencepolicies_en.pdf
ed, monitored and revised; and

The New Zealand Public Service Association (PSA) on Family Violence at Work
PSA is New Zealand’s largest union for workers in central government, state-owned enterprises, local
councils, health boards and community groups. It runs an active campaign on family violence at work
recognizing the grave consequences that domestic violence has in the workplace. It provides advice for vic-
tims, perpetrators, colleagues/co-workers, delegates and organizers and employers. PSA has also developed
a sample Family Violence Clause for employers (excerpts below):
Family violence may impact on an employee’s attendance or performance at work…. The employer will sup-
port staff experiencing family violence. This support includes: up to 10 days of paid leave in any calendar
year to be used for medical appointments, legal proceedings and other activities related to family violence.
This leave is in addition to existing leave entitlements and may be taken as consecutive or single days or as
a fraction of a day and can be taken without prior approval; support safety planning and avoidance of ha-
rassing contact, the employer will approve any reasonable request from an employee for changes to their
span or pattern of working hours, location of work or duties, a change to their work telephone number or
email address, and any other appropriate measure including those available under existing provision for
flexible work arrangements. An Employee who supports a person experiencing family violence may take
domestic leave to accompany them to court, to hospital, or to mind the children. All personal information
concerning family violence will be kept confidential and will not be kept on the employee’s personnel file
without their agreement. Proof of family violence may be requested and can be in the agreed form of a
document from the police, a health professional or a family violence support service.
For more information, see: https://www.psa.org.nz/search/results?Search=family+violence&acti

on_results=Go
Gender Equality and Diversity Policies The unequal distribution of caring responsibilities (i.e.
for children, sick family members, elderly and others)
Gender equality and diversity policies demonstrate a between men and women is a major driver of inequality
workplace’s commitment to improving measurable in employment. Weak or lacking policies and broader
gender equality outcomes with respect to employee measures to support women (who continue to bear the
representation, value, safety and recognition. Within bulk of caring responsibilities) result in departures from
these overarching categories, policies can address: the workplace, reductions in hours and interrupted op-
recruitment and advancement processes to ensure portunities for career development and advancement
equality between women and men; equal pay for (UN HLP, 2017). Following extensive research and
equal work; recognition and rewards that are unbiased consultation, The European Commission has outlined
and based on contribution and performance; non- An Initiative to Support Work-Life Balance for Working
discriminatory approaches to care and family respon- Parents and Carers to address this issue with recom-
sibilities; and genuine access to various positions and mendations that include (European Commission 2017):
levels of leadership by removing gender-based barriers.
• Improving the design and gender-balanced take-
• For an example of a workplace gender equality up of family-related leaves and flexible working
policy, see: https://www.wgea.gov.au/sites/default/ arrangements.
files/Characteristics-of-a-Gender-Equality-policy.pdf
• Improving the quality, affordability and access to
childcare and long-term care.

• Addressing economic disincentives for parents and • Alignment of all gender equality related policies to
carergivers to work. relevant articles of CEDAW such as Article 2, 4, 10, 11,
etc.
Elements to advance gender equality in work and
working conditions, include (UNESCO, 2012): • Monitoring for gender-responsive budgeting with
participation of women.
• Existence of gender desk or gender mainstreaming
officer(s) for monitoring and evaluation of gender • Existence of human resources policies on gender
equality in the workplace. including on equal treatment.
• Awareness among staff members that the gender • Publicity of human resources policies on gender.
desk or gender mainstreaming officer(s) exists to ad-
dress concerns of both women and men. • Media organizations facilitate the dissemina-
tion/availability of labour legislation concerning
• Existence of systems for monitoring and evaluation equal treatment of women and men to their staff
of gender equality in the workplace. Proportions members.
of women and men working in media organiza-
tion sections (eg. according to newsroom and • Proportions of men and women staff members with
production) and at all levels (junior, middle and top part-time contracts.
management).
• Proportions of men and women with fixed-term
• Cyclical review and reporting on actions to increase contracts.
the percentage of women working in the newsroom.
• Proportions of men and women producing or report-
• Existence of media policies securing equal treatment ing various news subjects (e.g. sports, politics and
with respect to general working conditions/environ- armed conflicts).
ment and rights including wages and promotion
opportunities. • Specific actions to increase percentage of women
who produce or report various news subjects where
• Cyclical reviews and reporting on equal wages and this is low (e.g. quotas).
promotion rates of women and men.
• Cyclical review and reporting on actions to increase
• Proportions of women and men promoted annu- women’s involvement (e.g. producing or reporting)
ally and offered wage increases as per established in all news subjects.
policies. Resource:
• Equal conditions of employment and benefits, in- UNESCO Gender Sensitive Indicators for Media
cluding pension schemes. Guide: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/
pf0000217831
• Equal and transparent recruitment practices (e.g.
all interview panels should be gender balanced,
gender officer involved in the recruitment process/ Editorial and Publishing Policies
programme of the organization at some point). Policies related to content gathering, development
and dissemination can provide journalists, broadcast-
• Existence of collective agreement securing equal ers and other media personnel with specific principles,
treatment between women and men. professional guidelines and rules or codes of conduct

that are expected and must be complied with in their intermediaries and other ICT-related firms have been
everyday work. These may include blocking and report- engaging with gender and human rights organiza-
ing mechanisms to content controls. For social media, tions to advance their policies and responses to online
such frameworks are beginning to emerge as Internet violence.
BBC Editorial Guidelines

The BBC has produced extensive guidelines for its media practitioners. The guidelines clearly state the
media organization’s principles and how the guidelines should be used. They cover a number of broad
areas, including:
• Accuracy
• Impartiality
• Harm and Offence (includes specific sections on violence, sex, intimidation and humiliation and
portrayals)
• Fairness, Contributors and Consent

• Privacy
• Reporting Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour
• Children and Young People as Contributors
• Politics, Public Policy and Polls
• War, Terror and Emergencies
• Religion
• Re-Use and Revisioning
• Editorial Integrity and Independence from External Interests
• Conflicts of Interest
• External Relationships and Funding
• Interacting with our Audiences
• The Law (includes specific sections on victims, offenders, privacy, safety)
• Accountability
The guidelines further provide extensive detail related to engaging with victims and offenders and report-
ing on violence against women and children throughout the sections presented above.
See the full guidelines: http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/guidelines/editorialguidelines/pdfs/Editorial_Guidelines

_in_full.pdf

Practitioners may consider working with media • Organization/facilitation of training programmes/
houses to support enhancement of these principles workshops to familiarise professional staff with
and rules to ensure a more gender sensitive and relevant resources such as gender policy, gender-
rights-based approach to their communications. sensitive code of ethics and stylebook/manual and
Where rights already exist (for example, to be treated help them integrate awareness of gender into me-
fairly and to not be discriminated against), they can be dia practice.
used to advocate for compliance or better adherence
when they have been contravened. This could involve • Existence of periodic/ongoing internal monitoring
lodging formal complaints through available media of media content to gauge effectiveness and as-
accountability mechanisms and/or publicising them sess outcomes of measures such as gender policy,
more broadly to raise awareness among the public. gender-sensitive code of ethics, stylebook/manual,
and training programmes/workshops.
Elements for Media organizations to promote ethical
codes/editorial policies in favour of gender equality in • Internal mechanisms to provide the public with a
media content, include (UNESCO, 2012): forum for complaints and criticism about gender
equality issues in content such as in the form of an
• Media organizations promote ethical codes/edito- ombudsman, readers’ editor and/or press council,
rial policies in favour of gender equality in media and to ensure that public is made aware of this
content. mechanism.
• Existence of (written) gender policy with specific • Publicity of gender policy and regular reporting to
reference to media practices (such as sourcing). public regarding institutional responsiveness to
complaints or perceptions of performance on gen-
• Existence of (written) code (of ethics) that includes der issues.
reference to gender representation.
• Adherence to gender/policy relating to media con-
• Existence of resources for gender-sensitive report- tent taken into account for performance appraisal
ing such as stylebook/manual, directory of women and promotion rules.
experts in different subject areas, roster of indi-
viduals or agencies that can provide a gender angle • Recognition of independent organization (or
or perspective on different subjects, etc., to help equivalent) as an external mechanism to provide
journalists and other creative/technical staff avoid the public with a forum for complaints and criticism
sexism and adopt gender-sensitivity as essential about media content, and to make the public aware
ingredients of professional practice. of such a mechanism.
• Professional staff, including editors, made aware • Sex disaggregated participation lists for workshops.
of and accept gender/diversity policy, gender and
diversity sensitive code of ethics and stylebook/ • Promotion of use of sex disaggregated data in jour-
manual. nalistic content.
• Managerial personnel, including board members • Review of monitoring data and action on significant
and senior managers, made aware of and accept problems.
gender/diversity policy, gender and diversity sensi-
tive code of ethics.

Common Sense Media has produced Gender Equity Guidelines for Content Creators: Recommendations for devel-
oping positive gender representations in movies and on TV for ages 2-17.
EARLY CHILDHOOD MIDDLE CHILDHOOD EARLY ADOLESCENCE LATER ADOLESCENCE

Age 2-6 Age 7-10 Age 11-13 Age 14-17
• Learn
that they are boys or • Draw
psychological distinc- • Physical
changes of • Gender
segregation diminishes.
girls (gender identity). tions between women (e.g., puberty create appearance • Gender
stereotyping again
• Learn
stereotypes about more emotional, affection- concerns and self- becomes more flexible.
activities, traits, toys, and skills ate) and men (e.g., more consciousness. • Ideas
about careers, occupa-
associated with each gender. ambitious, aggressive). • Intensified
need to tional roles, and work become
What • Develop
and strengthen • Learn
associations of occupa- conform to cultural salient; can be based in gender
Kids Are gender-typed play and activity tions and academic subjects gender norms (gender stereotypes.
Learning preferences. with each gender. intensification), coinciding • While
romantic and dating ex-
About • Adhere
to rigid stereotypes • Own
gender stereotyping with puberty. periences accumulate, develop
Gender for themselves and others; becomes more flexible • With
gender intensification an increased need to learn
intolerant of gender-role • Gender
segregation comes renewed intolerance gender-based expectations for
transgressions. strengthens. of cross-gender manner- how to behave in romantic and
• Show
preferences for playing isms and behaviors. sexual situations.
with children of own gender • Concerns
about dating • Appearance
concerns continue.
(gender segregation). potential.
• Show children with diverse • Show
role models who • Show
messages that • Show
portrayals that feature
attributes to show that there participate in both feminine emphasize that worth boys and men expressing their
is more than one way to do and masculine behaviors and happiness do not emotions in constructive ways,
gender. and roles without ridicule come from appearance having diverse interests (not
• Show
portrayals that equally from other characters (especially important only sex), and being accepting
value boys and girls, mascu- (particularly important for for female characters) or of nonheterosexual characters.
line and feminine behaviors male characters). from physical strength • Show
portrayals that steer
and characteristics. • Show role models who are (especially important for away from gender-based racial
• Show
children engaged in a instrumental (focused on do- male characters). stereotypes.
range of activities, including ing things) based on content • Show
role models who • Show
teen characters who
counterstereotypical activities. and context rather than participate in dating and have non-genderstereotypical
• Show
girls and boys interact- gender (especially important relationships in addition professional aspirations (girls
ing in healthy and egalitarian for female characters). to, not in lieu of, hobbies who want to be scientists and
cross-gender friendships. • Show
role models who are and other instrumental boys who want to be nurses)
• Show
girls and boys of diverse expressive (display emotions activities. and adult characters who are
races, body/facial/hair types, and sensitivity) based on con- • Show
examples of positive, successful and fulfilled in both
Goals clothes. tent and context rather than supportive, and fulfilling traditional and nontraditional
for • Use
more gender-neutral gender (especially important cross-gender friendships professions.
Media color palette. for male characters). and relationships. • Show
diverse dating scripts
Content • Diversify
camera filters, • Show
adult women and • Show
role models who that are not steeped in gender
editing techniques, sound men in both traditional and display both feminine and stereotypes (boys always mak-
effects, and music to avoid nontraditional occupations, masculine mannerisms, ing the first move, girls being
segregating the worlds. including women as behavior, and career/aca- passive and acquiescent).
professionals and men as demic interests without • Show
sexual scenarios in
caretakers. ridicule from other charac- which gender is not the driving
• Show
nonsexualized female ters (particularly important force behind how sexual
characters (e.g., realistic for male characters). partners behave and in which
body types, diverse clothing • Show
examples of both partners have agency.
styles, avoidance of signifiers fully realized transgender • Show
female characters who
such as red lips, long lashes, characters who experience set sexual boundaries and who
cleavage, unrealistically long both ups and downs are comfortable voicing their
legs and flowing hair, etc.) and are accepted and needs.
and nonaggressive male supported. • Show
cross-gender
characters who resolve relationships that are based
conflict without resorting to on nonromantic or nonsexual
violence. friendship and trust.
Source: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/uploads/pdfs/2017_commonsense_watching
gender_executivesummary_0620_1.pdf

Media and ICTs are not gender-neutral – they are impact of stereotypes and cultural norms on their
shaped by the contexts in which they are developed. ability to access and to use the Internet.
Gender divides are a significant and pressing chal-
lenge facing the media and Internet ecosystem, Without involving more women in Internet policy-
ranging from women’s ability to access and benefit making, which will foster a better understanding of
from the Internet and other digital technologies to capacity and needs, digital gender inequalities are
their ability to participate meaningfully in multi- likely to persist. To bridge the digital gap, it is neces-
stakeholder processes. Women in many countries sary to build and update media and information
face a number of barriers in gaining access to or us- literacy skills into education systems, to strengthen
ing the Internet, including ‘concrete’ barriers such as users’ ability to define, access, manage, integrate,
affordability and network rollout, quality and avail- communicate, evaluate and create information safely
ability; ‘analogue’ barriers such as the availability of and appropriately through digital technologies and
relevant content; structural barriers concerned with networked devices for participation in economic and
educational access and attainment, lack of relevant social life. Platforms, regulators, civil society and the
skills and income, occupational status, the effect of media have major roles to play in combatting gender-
online abuse and gender-based violence and threats; abuse online.
and several intersectional challenges, including the
The UNESCO ROAM Principles and Indicators

The ROAM principles which are based on international standards serve as the benchmark for actors to
come together for improved alignment to Rights, Openness, Access for all and Multistakeholder practice.
The ROAM principles together with its supplementary indicators are filling a standard-setting void at
the global and national levels. This instrument entails an evidence-based policy making approach for the
Internet. It also reflects the value of multi-stakeholder participation in overseeing any research that uses
the indicators in order to assess national Internet spaces and to propose recommendations for improve-
ment to the range of actors (governments, companies, academia, civil society, technical community, etc).
For more information, see: https://en.unesco.org/internetuniversality/indicators
Resources: • Preventing Online Harassment and Promoting

• UNESCO Gender Sensitive Indicators for Media Guide: Freedom of Expression Draft IFJ Online Harassment
https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000217831 Social Media Policy (for media houses)- https://
samsn.ifj.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/IFJ_
• Gender-Ethical Journalism and Media House Policy Online_Harassment_Social_Media_Policy.pdf
- http://cdn.agilitycms.com/who-makes-the-news/
Imported/learning_resource_kit/learning-resource- • Gender in Media: A Southern Africa Toolkit-
kit-book-2-eng.pdf http://portal.unesco.org/en/files/47269/126500
28681Gender_in_Media_Training_A_southern_
• International Press Institute OnTheLine Project- African_Toolkit.pdf/Gender%2Bin%2BMedia%2BTra
https://ipi.media/programmes/ontheline/ ining%2BA%2Bsouthern%2BAfrican%2BToolkit.pdf

5.4 Training
2016). Training that supports individuals to be positive
Training is an essential component of any change pro- bystanders (i.e. knowing how to interrupt or step-in
cess and continued professional development. It is key when inappropriate interactions are taking place and
to familiarizing staff with the organizational struc- how to approach and support victims) can also be
tures, policies, guidelines and codes that have been put useful when done well and are tailored to the specific
in place – what they contain, how they should be used, work context.
where to access them and the mechanisms to pursue
recourse if there is transgression of those policies. Global research found that journalism training
Transformational processes, the longer-term vision of resources to support content development with a
changing ‘hearts and minds’ is very much anchored gender lens exist and may be good, but that concepts
on the people working within the institution and are not well understood when they are translated or
changing the institutional culture. This requires going applied to media practice (WACC and IFJ 2012). These
beyond simple sexual harassment or diversity type findings reinforce the need for ongoing professional
trainings to explore employees’ own understanding development that go beyond manuals, online and
of gender issues discrimination and power dynamics, one-off trainings, to include face-to-face opportu-
their experiences, their biases (conscious or uncon- nities, mentoring, peer-to-peer support and other
scious) and how these manifest in their everyday lives strategies to improve and develop practice. Training
and workplaces. Training that gives employees an is only one component of an institutional change
opportunity to engage more deeply and frequently process. These trainings must be situated within a
with material related to sexism, racism, homophobia, broader system of gender-ethical policies, protocols,
ableism and other prejudices or discrimination that guides, codes and procedures; improved gender parity
exist in any given society, provides individuals with an at all levels of staffing and in decision-making; and
opportunity to self-reflect and see things through an processes to monitor and provide feedback loops that
evolved lens which should improve their understand- allow for practice to be continually enhanced based
ing, relationships and practice (Bezrukova, K et al on application and experience.
Training for Journalists on Gender Equality (Georgia)
UN Women and UNFPA have been supporting training courses for journalists on ‘Gender-Sensitive
Reporting and Covering Violence against Women in the Media’. The trainings focus on media reporting on
VAWG in a non-discriminatory way, building skills to interview victims/survivors and protect their identi-
ties, as well as using appropriate language, terminology and sources. The training was followed-up with
interactive components involving community mobilisation. Journalists and photographers were paired
and asked to develop special reports illustrated with photographs and other graphic material covering
issues related to violence against women and girls. These then became the basis for a special installation
and interactive exhibition during International Women’s Day in 2014. Within three years, gender equality
issues became high on the media agenda in Georgia, including through new media programmes discuss-
ing women’s rights and promoting gender equality.
For more information, see: http://georgia.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2014/05/stories-of-survivors-

portrayed-by-journalists-in-georgiaandhttp://georgia.unfpa.org/en/news/sensitive-reporting-training-georgian-
journalists

Women’s Media Watch (Jamaica)
Women’s Media Watch (WMW) Jamaica works to bring a gender lens to media across Jamaica. Established
in 1987, WMW uses media in inclusive ways to introduce different messages about women’s empowerment
and leadership. WMW recognizes how media shape social values, perceptions and expectations, driving
a holistic approach to addressing gender inequality. For example, one project supported by UN Women,
trained young women through the PowHERhouse project, with the skills to use the media to transform
gender norms, strategically promote gender equality, and advocate for themselves as leaders. The project
challenged negative stereotypes about women in society and harnessed the power of the media to portray
women as leaders and change agents.
For information on WMW Jamaica’s strategies and achievements visit: http://wmwja.org/
Resources:
Tackling Unconscious Bias to Promote Inclusive and other characteristics may be at higher risk or
Business Environments: https://www. experience abuse differently. This is also the case for
unglobalcompact.org/docs/issues_doc/devel- women in professions that challenge social norms,
opment/Tackle%20Unconscious%20Bias%20 the status quo and power dynamics within society,
to%20Create%20Inclusive%20Business%20 such as women politicians, human rights defenders
Environments.pdf and women journalists. Of particular concern, is the
alarming levels of online violence that women journal-
Bystander Intervention Training for Sexual
ists face on a regular basis, including: trolling, doxing,
Harassment: https://www.ihollaback.org/train-
non-consensual sharing of images, cyber-stalking and
ings-and-presentations/
threats against them and their families. The violence
Masculinities Training: https://trainingcentre. that they face is a gross violation of their human rights,
unwomen.org/course/description.php?id=16 curtails freedom of speech and expression (principles
of democracy and pluralism) and gravely affects their
Diversity Training Resources: http://www.
professional engagements and ability to work.
prismdiversity.com/resources/diversity_training.
html?Nav=EventsBtn
Women journalists are affected by gender-specific
safety risks such as sexual harassment, sexual violence
5.5 Safety of Women Journalists and threats of violence (IFJ, 2017; IWMF, 2018). Recent
Women of all backgrounds and in all countries are studies have shown that women journalists are par-
at risk of and experience various forms of abuse. ticularly affected by online harassment (Reporters
Worldwide, one in three women has experienced some Without Borders, 2018; OSCE, 2016). An analysis of the
form of physical and or sexual violence in her lifetime 70 million comments recorded by the Guardian be-
[and this does not include sexual harassment] (WHO, tween 1999 and 2016 showed that among the 10 staff
LSHTM and MRC, 2013). Women who face multiple journalists who received the highest level of abuse,
forms of discrimination based on their race, ethnicity, eight were women, while the two others were black
disability, civil status (e.g. migrant), sexual orientation men (The Guardian, 2016).

International Press Institute (IPI) OnTheLine Project
IPI is a global network of editors, journalists and media executives dedicated to quality, independent jour-
nalism by promoting the conditions that enable journalists to fulfil their public functions operating freely
and without fear of retaliation.
OnTheLine is IPI’s digital media initiative seeking to expose and counter a range of threats against press
freedom and free expression in the digital sphere, for example through Twitter, Facebook, email and other
platforms. The initiative tracks:
• Threats of violence, including threats of death or other harm.

• Abusive behaviour, including sexual or other harassment, cyber-stalking, smear campaigns, the posting
of defamatory or false materials, or other similar conduct.
• Technical interference, including the use of malware or other means to attack content posted or the
ability to access it, or hacking of accounts or personal information.
• Improper legal threats, including threats of criminal or civil actions, or improper takedown requests.
The initiative maintains a database of online threats and has produced a number of publications on the
topic covering global, as well as, country-level contexts.
For more information and to access the resources, see: https://ipi.media/programmes/ontheline/
Harassment against women journalists often takes • Forty-four per cent had suffered online abuse.
the form of personal attacks, which tend to not focus
on the content of the journalist’s reporting, but rather • Two-thirds did not make a formal complaint.
on her character or body parts, and in more extreme
cases include threats of sexual violence (OSCE, 2016). • Of those who did complain 84.8% did not believe ad-
In a report published in 2018 by Trollbusters and the equate measures had been taken in all cases against
International Women’s Media Foundation, a survey the perpetrators. Only 12.3% were satisfied with the
conducted among 597 women journalists and outcome.
media workers revealed that nearly two out of three
respondents stated that they had been threatened or • Only 26% of workplaces had a policy covering gen-
harassed online at least once. Among them, around der-based violence and sexual harassment.
40 percent said they avoided reporting certain stories
because of online harassment. Fifty-eight percent of To address the safety and security of journalist, the
the women journalists surveyed stated that they had United Nations Chief Executives Board endorsed a
already been threatened or harassed in person, while first-ever UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists
26% indicated that they had been physically attacked and the Issue of Impunity in 2012. 4 The Plan of Action,
(IWMF, 2018). spearheaded by UNESCO, aims to create a free and
safe environment for journalists and media work-
In a report from 2017 spanning journalists across 50 ers, both in conflict and non-conflict situations, and
countries, it was found that (IFJ, 2017): both online and offline, with a view to strengthen
• Forty-eight per cent had suffered gender-based vio-

4 See: https://en.unesco.org/un-plan-action-safety-
lence in their work. journalists

peace, democracy and development worldwide. • Member States to put in place gender-sensitive
Its measures include, among other undertakings, measures that do not prevent them from carry-
the establishment of a coordinated inter-agency ing out their journalistic tasks but which enhance
mechanism to handle issues related to the safety of their safety and enable them to fully carry out their
journalists as well as assisting countries to develop profession;
legislation and mechanisms favourable to freedom
of expression and information, and supporting their • Media actors to enhance a policy of gender equality
efforts to implement existing international rules inside media institutions, and counter social, cul-
and principles. A consultation in 2017 to strengthen tural and other obstacles to equality between male
implementation included additional recommenda- and female journalists;
tions for various stakeholders. The Plan highlights the
need for a gender-sensitive approach and the imple- • Academia to carry out further research on the gen-
mentation strategy includes a number of initiatives der dimensions of safety.
to address the safety of women journalists. Among
others, it calls on Member States to "take action Moreover, the UN Secretary-General’s 2017 report on
against discrimination and violence against women the Safety of Journalists to the UN General Assembly
journalists, including sexual violence, online and of- was focused on the safety of women journalists, il-
fline, and ensure training and awareness-raising” lustrating the increasing attention being given to the
on these issues. The Outcome document of the 2017 gender dimensions of safety (UN, 2017).
consultation additionally encourages (UNESCO, 2017):
Safety of Women Journalists in the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe
(OSCE)
The Representative on Freedom of the Media is an OSCE Institution based in Vienna, Austria. The
Representative maintains an early warning function and provides rapid response to serious non-compli-
ance with regard to free media and freedom of expression. The OSCE participating States regard freedom
of expression a fundamental and internationally recognized human right and a basic component of a
democratic society (an open society with accountable governments). The Representative is mandated to
observe media developments in the participating States and to advocate and promote full compliance
with the Organization’s principles and commitments in respect of freedom of expression and free media.
Under this mandate, the OSCE manages an initiative to address ‘Safety of Women Journalists Online.’
Following a questionnaire to its members, an expert group meeting and conferences, the following recom-
mendations were set forth (OSCE, 2015):
Participating States should: recognize that threats and other forms of online abuse of female journalists
and media actors is a direct attack on freedom of expression and freedom of the media; strengthen the
capacity of law enforcement agencies to understand international standards on human rights so they
can identify real threats to safety and protect individuals in danger, including providing tools and train-
ing on technical and legal issues; refrain from introducing new criminal laws that could stifle freedom of
expression, opting instead to apply existing laws that are in line with international human rights stan-
dards; commission and support the collection and analysis of data related to online abuse and its effects,
including creating a database of specific occurrences and follow-up from law enforcement; and establish

a network of working groups with participating States, international organizations, media, civil society
and Internet intermediaries to develop educational materials, awareness-raising campaigns and create
effective structures for dialogue.
Media organizations should: adopt industry-wide guidelines on identifying and monitoring online abuse;
ensure that journalists experiencing online abuse, both staff and freelancers, have access to a comprehen-
sive system of support including psychosocial and legal assistance; create a company culture of gender
equality and non-tolerance to threats and harassment against staff; put in place clear and transparent
procedures related to content moderation, with the view of protecting the right to freedom of expression,
and train relevant staff accordingly, while ensuring that male and female staff be equally involved; and
work with other media organizations and associations to create support systems, including training and
mentorship programmes, for female journalists and media actors.
Intermediaries and social media platforms should: inform properly about terms of services, guidelines and
best practices in ensuring a safe space for all users; ensure that terms of service, community guidelines
and information about their enforcement are proportionate and adequate, clear, understandable and eas-
ily available to all users; provide information to users about best practices for online safety and about
technical solutions on how to best report abusive content; engage in capacity building with civil society
organizations on issues like counterspeech as a response to abusive content; and collect data and statistics
on online abuse to help facilitate more comprehensive research on online abuse of female journalists and
media actors.
For additional information, see: http://www.osce.org/representative-on-freedom-of-media/safety-

female-journalists-online
Resources: Organization for Security and Co-

operation in Europe: Safety of Female
The UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists Journalists Online - https://www.osce.
and the Issue of Impunity: https://en.unesco. org/representative-on-freedom-of-media/
org/sites/default/files/options_geneva_consul- safety-female-journalists-online
tation.pdf
Acting on UN Human Rights Council Resolution
Strengthening the Implementation of the UN 33/2 on the Safety of Journalists (Article 19):
Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and https://www.article19.org/wp-content/up-
the Issue of Impunity Consultation: https:// loads/2017/11/safety_of_journalists_WEB_23.10.pdf
en.unesco.org/sites/default/files/options_ge-
neva_consultation.pdf What If Safety Handbook for Women Journalists-
http://www.iawrt.org/sites/default/files/field/
Portal on the UN Plan of Action and re- pdf/2017/11/IAWRT%20Safety%20Manual.
lated resources: http://www.unesco.org/ Download.10112017.pdf
new/en/communication-and-information/
freedom-of-expression/safety-of-journalists/ PEN America: Online Harassment Field Manual -
un-plan-of-action/ https://onlineharassmentfieldmanual.pen.org

Safety of Women Journalists (UNESCO)
As the organization leading the implementation of the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of journalists and
the Issue of Impunity, as well as an organization that has adopted gender equality as a global priority,
UNESCO implements a number of projects targeted at improving safety of women journalists.
Capacity building and safety guidelines for women journalists
UNESCO supported the publication by the International Association of Women in Radio and Television
(IAWRT) of ‘What if…? Safety Handbook for Women Journalists” (2017), written by Egyptian journalist Abeer
Saady. It provides practical tips for women journalists on how to minimize risks, while covering sensitive
and dangerous assignments. The handbook’s main strength is its compilation of experiences, of numerous
women journalists, who have worked in conflict and post conflict areas. The handbook underscores the
importance of physical, psychosocial and digital safety and security.
Training material on the safety of women journalists has been enriched through the updating in 2017 of
the Safety Guide for Journalists: A handbook for reporters in high-risk environments, developed by Reporters
without Borders in concert with UNESCO, which includes a specific focus on gender-specific threats, both
offline and online.
UNESCO will also implement a number of training activities aimed at enhancing capacities of women
journalists to protect themselves against and to deal with harassment. To galvanize change at the in-
stitutional level, UNESCO will also conduct capacity-building trainings for media managers, which will
sensitize participants to the issue and encourage them to adopt safety protocols for cases of gender-based
harassment of women journalists.
#Journaliststoo – Women journalists speak out
In order to raise awareness for gender-based harassment of women journalists online and offline, and
to show how journalists around the world resist and fight back against threats and abuse, UNESCO is
publishing a book which consists of personal narratives by women journalists who have experienced
gender-based harassment or violence. This book shines a light on the manifold forms of online and offline
threats, and underlines their resilience and resourcefulness in developing counter initiatives.
UNESCO study on mechanisms to tackle online harassment of women journalists
UNESCO is launching a research project on effective initiatives in tackling online harassment of women
journalists, designed to yield concrete recommendations for different stakeholder groups, including media
organizations, social media platforms, professional associations, and national authorities including the ju-
diciary. This project will be rolled out over the course of 2019 and will be accompanied by multistakeholder
consultations to ensure input and feedback from diverse actors. The first consultation and kick-off session
was organized in February 2019 at an OSCE Conference on Safety of Female Journalists Online (#SOFJO).

Resources:
Portal on the UN Plan of Action and related re- Acting on UN Human Rights Council Resolution
sources: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/commu- 33/2 on the Safety of Journalists (Article 19): https://
nication-and-information/freedom-of-expression/ www.article19.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/
safety-of-journalists/un-plan-of-action/ safety_of_journalists_WEB_23.10.pdf
Strengthening the Implementation of the UN What If Safety Handbook for Women Journalists-
Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and https://www.iawrt.org/sites/default/files/
the Issue of Impunity Consultation: https:// field/pdf/2017/11/IAWRT%20Safety%20Manual.
en.unesco.org/sites/default/files/options_ge- Download.10112017.pdf
neva_consultation.pdf
PEN America: Online Harassment Field Manual-
Organization for Security and Co-operation in https://onlineharassmentfieldmanual.pen.org/
Europe: Safety of Female Journalists Online -
https://www.osce.org/representative-on-free-
dom-of-mediasafety-female-journalists-online

6. ENGAGING IN SOCIAL
NORMS CHANGE
Overview
Preventing violence against women and girls requires a coordinated approach across different
segments of society. It involves multiple strategies that mutually reinforce each other reaching
individuals where they live, work, learn and play, as well as, broader communities and society
at large. The evidence-base shows that there are a range of individual, community and societal
characteristics and conditions that can either create greater or lower risks for violence com-
mitted against girls and women. Among these are gender-discriminatory laws and policies,
inequal power relations between men and women and social norms, behaviours and attitudes
that contribute to discrimination and inequality. The UN Prevention Framework to Underpin
Action to Prevent Violence against Women brings together this evidence-base and articulates
a comprehensive approach to prevent violence, requiring the development of interventions
that address cultures, structures and practices across organizations; interventions that reach a
wide range of people and organizations at the local, regional and national level. The framework
recommends the use of a variety of entry points for social norms change, including the use of
media and popular culture (UN Women, 2015).
Media is an important reflection of and driver of pre- This work is about ‘flipping the script’ to uphold nar-
vailing norms and to some extent values in any given ratives of equality, women’s rights, non-discrimination
society. Its influential role and broad reach make it a and zero tolerance for abuse of any kind.
critical entry point for purposefully promoting ideas of
equality, non-discrimination and non-violence. Undoing
harmful norms that underpin violence and promoting Stereotypes
pro-social or positive norms, requires addressing ‘ev- Gender and other stereotypes are at the heart of
eryday’ attitudes, beliefs, practices and behaviours that discrimination. Stereotypes are harmful when they
reinforce traditional gender stereotypes and roles which result in a violation or violations of human rights and
discriminate against girls and women. It requires chal- fundamental freedoms, when they limit women’s and
lenging notions of masculinity and femininity, power men’s capacity to develop their personal abilities, pur-
dynamics between men and women, boys and girls and sue their professional careers and make choices about
hierarchies of privilege based on gender identity, race/ their lives and life plans. Harmful stereotypes can be
ethnicity, religion or any other characteristic. It also explicitly hostile/negative (e.g. women are irrational,
entails framing of the issue as a social phenomenon. weak, etc.) or can appear harmless (e.g. women are
In other words, individual incidents of violence cannot nurturing, social, etc.), but inadvertently perpetu-
be treated in the media as independent and isolated ate discriminatory ideas. It is for example based on
instances but must be positioned within a broader the stereotype that women are more nurturing that
understanding/explanation of the factors that allow child-rearing responsibilities often fall disproportion-
abuse against girls and women on such a large scale. ately or even exclusively on them. Even in instances

of Gender based violence, gender stereotyping and In a survey conducted by Ipsos and the Female
predisposed notions of and beliefs about women's Quotient across 28 countries with men and women, it
behaviour results in victim blaming, rather than hold- was found that (Unstereotype Alliance, 2018)
ing the perpetrator to account.
A framework to prevent violence against women

Illustrative Gender Stereotypes and Gender Discriminatory Roles
• Men as tough, unfeeling, aggressive, and expected to conceal or suppress emotional vulnerability - ‘stiff
upper lip’ culture.
• Men as dominant in the family, within intimate relationships and in social settings with women.
• Men as the sexual initiator or entitled to sex with women. Some groups of men in minority groups as
more sexually violent and more controlling (based for example on income levels, regions, ethnicity, and/
or religious affiliation).
• Culture of acceptance or victim-blaming around rape, especially framed in the light that if the survivor
'had been drinking alcohol', 'wearing clothes considered provocative', 'walking home alone at night', or
was ‘leading’ the perpetrator ‘on’.
• Men’s social standing and reputation as upheld by the loyalty, obedience and fidelity of their female
spouses, siblings and children, the absence of which may be a justification for violence.
• Men considered as effeminate and weak if they are gender egalitarian or support feminist movements.
• Notions of femininity based on passivity, vulnerability, purity and heterosexuality.
• Women who assert, speak out, or defend equal rights as ‘man-hating’ or unwomanly.
• Lesbian, bisexual, and transgender women as outside the feminine ‘norm’ and as needing policing/
correction.
• Some groups of minority women as inherently more sexually available or “up for it”.
• Families and elders as entitled to control girls’ and women’s behaviour more rigidly than boys’/men’s,
and to make decisions about marriage, dating, and other aspects of women and girls’ social lives.
• Women as hypersexualised, and their bodies for the pleasure and spectacle of men.
• Double standards regarding nudity:

-Censorship of women’s bodies which are considered sexualised and indecent as compared to men’s,
especially on social media and online platforms.
-Women’s bodies expected to meet specific beauty standards but considered lewd in their natural state
(e.g. during menstruation, showing bodily hair, breastfeeding, diverse body shapes and skin colours).
• Policing of women and girl’s clothing and the idea that certain styles of dress are distracting to men and
boys.
• Blaming and/or stigmatization and shaming of sexual violence survivors, and women and girls who
report sexual violence as promiscuous, liars or ‘out to get’ the perpetrator.
• Men as breadwinners and women as care givers/home makers.

• 72% feel “most advertising does not reflect the world language, education, appearance and sexuality that
around me”. tend to compound gender- based discrimination. In
South Africa, 66% of single, black women believe that
• 63% claim “I don’t see myself represented in most society expects them to be feminine, dutiful and obe-
advertising”. dient, with this figure rising to 72% for married, black
women. In India, 62% of younger unmarried women
• 60% say “I don’t see my community of friends, family feel underrepresented in media, while 51% of younger,
and acquaintances represented accurately in most married women feel under pressure to stay at home,
advertising”. as opposed to 44% of women as a whole. In Brazil, 79%
of women feel they’re not fairly represented in society.
• 64% think “Advertisers need to do more to eliminate This figure is even higher for single women, where 85%
traditional or old-fashioned roles of men and women feel unrepresented. Failing to successfully reflect inter-
in their ads”. sectionality in advertising could lead to a damaging
and restrictive idea of ‘normality’ that leaves millions
• 84% “really like when ads include a positive message of women feeling disenfranchised and excluded.
about making the world better”.
A gender lens requires that programmers and media
• 75% of consumers say they “feel more positive toward personnel are familiar with the specific gender dy-
companies that demonstrate in their advertising namics and social and cultural reference points that
that men and women have the same capabilities prescribe the roles of men and women in any given so-
and roles”. ciety. This requires socio-cultural research and analysis
to understand what the norms and expectations are
In addition to broad-based gender stereotypes that for men and women in any given context and how this
exist, different contexts generate unique social norms might affect portrayals, interpretations and presenta-
and gender roles, which can vary even within the tion of the issue. Intentional attention should be paid
same geographic or socio-political setting for different to how these notions interact with and influence the
groups of women and girls (Fergus 2012). attitudes and behaviours of the target audience and
surrounding community, to ensure that negative gen-
Compounded gender stereotypes can have a dispropor- der stereotypes and discrimination against women
tionate negative impact on certain groups of women, and girls are deconstructed and not reinforced.
such as women in custody, women from minority or
indigenous groups, women with disabilities, women Perceptions of social norms are equally if not more
from lower caste groups or with lower economic sta- powerful in reinforcing negative stereotypes and prac-
tus, migrant women, LBTI women, etc. Changing social tices, even if they are not reflective of the true attitudes
norms so that VAWG can be eliminated is inevitably a and beliefs of a given population. Research (new or
discussion about power between women and men. It is existing) can be helpful in exposing misperceptions, by
also a wider discussion about power between different revealing that the majority of people in a group do not
social groups. Addressing VAWG requires rooting the hold the attitudes or behaviours that gender norms
discussion more broadly to encompass gender norms suggest. Understanding what is actually common in
and the intersection of multiple inequalities, to ensure a group, is critical to getting the messaging and ap-
that the various risk factors that perpetuate discrimi- proach right, which can provide an incentive to change
nation and abuse are captured for all segments of the and in time can set new social expectations.
population.
The aim of prevention work with media partners is par-
A 2018 survey (Unstereotype Alliance, 2018) of 1000 tially to move away from focusing only on individual
women in South Africa, Brazil and India examined incidents of violence as if they are one off and unique,
gender together with other factors, such as race, class, to situating the violence as a social phenomenon that

Lessons learned from FGM Campaigns
Early campaigns to eradicate female genital mutilation/cutting were focused on criminalization and
raising awareness of the health consequences. The campaigns were largely driven in a ‘top down’ style
without consultation or engagement of the communities that were most affected. Campaigns became
more successful later, when they were based on in-depth knowledge of the social norms involved in the
practice. Ongoing engagement with communities unveiled the deeply held views on parenting and the
desire for families to do what they thought was in the best interest of their children (e.g. beliefs related
to protecting them from sexual assault and ensuring their marriageability). It then created face-to-face
opportunities for continued dialogue and an eventual collective rejection of the practice.
For more information, see: Heise, L. (2011) What Works to Prevent Partner Violence? An evidence overview,
London: DFID http://www.oecd.org/derec/49872444.pdf
is based on a common cause of unequal gender power existing research on these social norms and risk factors
relations. The bigger conversation would bring-in vari- is critical to designing appropriate interventions with
ous elements to demonstrate this, including: the costs different segments of the population and ensuring the
and consequences of violence on women, families, com- messaging contributes to broader understanding of
munities and even nations; the inter-connections and the issue.
commonalities between different forms of violence;
the role of gender stereotypes, harmful masculinities, In some cases, an initiative may be targeting a mass or
discrimination and inequality in perpetuating VAWG; broad audience on general principles of equality, non-
and the ways in which these dynamics intersect with discrimination and non-violence. In others, a specific
other identities (e.g. race, sexual orientation, etc.) and audience or audiences will be targeted in a tailored
social inequalities (e.g. poverty) and that may impact way to address the specificities of a population’s con-
the experience of violence differently for certain text and issues. In some cases, there will be a mix of
groups of women and girls. mass outreach, together with more tailored interven-
tions. Interventions that aim at transformative change
6.1 Entry points for social to tackle widely held attitudes and beliefs that con-
done violence against women and girls would require
norms change mass outreach on a sustained basis, accompanied by
more substantive outreach and programming at the
Understanding target audiences of media community level through educational systems, mobili-
When designing a partnership with the media on zation of community members, working with families
VAWG prevention, it is key to determine the objectives and others who may be influential (e.g. faith-leaders).
that are to be reached, the appropriate target group(s)
of the intervention, as well as the best media channels
to reach them. Determining your target audience and Media consumption of target audiences
objectives requires an understanding of the global Identifying the media consumption patterns of your
evidence-base on how to prevent violence against target audience(s) will be critical for designing the
women and girls together with a sound understand- communications strategy and interventions. Media
ing of the locally identified factors that put boys and consumption can be vastly different within countries,
men at greater risk of perpetrating and women and communities or families. For example, young people are
girls at greater risk of experiencing abuse. Compiling far more likely to use social media and mobile phone

or tablet applications (e.g. online streaming services) of untangling what is feasible in any given context
to play games, receive news and enjoy entertainment. vis-à-vis available resources and objectives. Although it
Understanding the media consumption habits of target depends on the context, there is a considerable amount
audiences provides insight on which media channels of research and information available about media con-
and organizations to engage and begins the process sumption and audiences that can be drawn upon.
Media Consumption Sources
BBC Media Action regularly publishes and collates the latest research on media consumption habits in low
and middle-income countries. Their reports and data portal are available online: http://www.bbc.co.uk/
mediaaction/research-and-insight and http://dataportal.bbcmediaaction.org/site/
Internet searches can provide valuable information using queries such as:
- what are the most popular radio stations in X
- how many people listen to / watch….
- what proportion of people in X have internet enabled smartphone
Questions can also be broken down by different groups of people, ‘how many women… young people…
people with low incomes…’, etc.
Wikipedia often maintains a directory of media outlets, types of media and their audiences by locality.
Queries for various countries can be conducted by typing ‘communications in X’ in the search bar- https://
www.wikipedia.org/
Media consumption is determined by a variety of fac- • Media diversity, as the range of media options and
tors, including: consumers’ interests and preferences; plurality of voices heard can limit access to infor-
affordability; accessibility; gender and other social mation and participation in media, particularly for
norms that proscribe use. Factors such as radio or tele- marginalized groups;
vision ownership or access to them in the community;
mobile phone ownership and internet access; the prices • Gender, as gender stereotypes can determine the
and availability of print media and literacy rates; among kind of information available to both women and
others are all important to consider when deciding the men. For example, women in low and middle-income
type of media to be engaged in prevention work. countries are significantly less likely than men to
own a mobile phone, and when they do own one
Media use is not simply determined by affordability. they use them less than men (GSMA 2016), or;
Other factors may have an impact, including:
• The position individuals occupy in the family, as
• Professional activity, as small traders, for example, women and young people may have less access to
might prioritise having a mobile phone because it the household phone or radio.
is essential to their business, while broader parts of
the population may rely on radio reports for weather This information can play a crucial role in designing
alerts and agricultural information. appropriate interventions, resisting the temptation to
target only traditional or like-minded media partners.

It is critical to expand messages and communications Violence against girls and women is a complex so-
objectives to media organizations and audiences cial issue and each form of VAWG can be described
that could have a catalytic impact on changing (‘framed’) in very different terms, which can implicitly
social norms. support or condone the practice concerned. The is-
sue may also be presented from different angles, in
6.2 Framing and messaging of order to highlight something specific. For example,
media content discussing domestic violence with a focus on the
health consequences for women and their children;
The way that an issue is ‘framed’ across the media - discussing violence against women with respect to
which means the exact language used and what the the financial costs to the family, community and soci-
issue is related to – has a significant impact on the ety at large; or how gaps in state laws might be failing
way it will be heard and understood (CCF, 2018; Lakoff, indigenous women, whose cases are being brought
G 2006). Gender stereotypes and roles can also be only to local adjudication mechanisms, etc. The way
endorsed or challenged through the use of particular a story is pitched or framed will influence the way the
‘frames’ in talking about VAWG. audience perceives and understands it.
Using a Safety versus a Freedom Lens in the UK
Research in the UK showed that audiences responded quite differently to reporting on violence against
women when it was presented from a safety perspective as opposed to a freedom perspective.
The research revealed that listeners had a negative reaction and feelings when sexual assault and sexual
harassment were discussed in terms of the need to protect women’s safety. Audiences interpreted this as a
certain level of abuse is inevitable and that a response by government or police was the solution. By placing
the focus on safety as a specific women’s need, the fact that perpetrators should be dealt with or that men
have a role in stopping abuse was made invisible. It also conveyed the message that women need to be
protected which infantilizes them and removes their agency. In some contexts, this type of reporting can
even inadvertently advocate for practices that further violate the rights of women and girls. For example,
through restrictions on their movement, ability to attend school or work, and/or isolating them further.
When messages were used instead to refer to women’s freedom and how VAWG may restrict women’s
mobility, respondents reported being more alerted to the equality implications of VAWG and to the fact
that the current situation is unfair and that it is not inevitable and does not have to be this way.
Source: EVAW (2014) Unpublished public attitudes research among 1,000 UK adults by YouGov for the End
Violence Against Women Coalition, UK.
To find the right “frame”, it is important to: • Show the connections and commonalities between
different forms of violence and general stereotypes
• Highlight how commonly accepted gender roles e.g. the way racist stereotypes are used to explain
and stereotypes are implicated in the perpetration VAWG in minority groups and communities.
and acceptance of VAWG - e.g. men’s sexual entitle-
ment as a justification for sexual violence. • Present strong, intelligent, empowered and diverse
women role models and voices in media coverage.

• Provide the other side of the story with existing and partners working in the same and complemen-
research and evidence. tary areas. It also means working with media to craft
For example: Instead of 30% of men in Togo be- messages or communication objectives that help to
lieve that it is acceptable for a husband to ‘beat his challenge harmful gender roles and stereotypes.
wife’,(Tran et al 2016) it can be reframed as 70% of
men in Togo believe that it is unacceptable for a hus- Consistent messages or communication objectives
band to ‘beat his wife’. being delivered by diverse groups and individuals,
including those with star appeal (e.g. sports figures,
Changing gender norms means using clear, consistent actors, politicians who have been vetted for uphold-
and accessible communication objectives that media ing gender equality values and practices), can help
partners and the community can understand and to increase media workers’ perception of an issue as
relate to and that can also be echoed by other groups having legitimacy and urgency.
11 Ways to Work with Media (Australia)

There are some very useful guides on media messaging for violence against women and girls. Below are
three key themes adapted from a recent Australian resource:
• Talk about gender equality as key to preventing VAWG
Use statements and information that show the influence that gender stereotypes and inequality play in
creating and supporting VAWG. Daily and simple terms to explain this drawn from the local context are
most effective and better resonate with the target audience.
• Discuss how other social factors support VAWG
Discuss that while changing gender inequality is fundamental to preventing VAWG, other factors such as
racism, war, or government corruption, among many others may create an environment that can manifest
in greater incidences of violence or in more extreme forms. Challenging and pervasive circumstances can
also create normalization of violence and the risk of acceptance. Media should diligently deconstruct these
international exchange and research in their communications and reporting. Examples drawn from the
local context and in comparison to other similar contexts can be useful to highlight patterns.
• Give examples of what people can do to prevent VAWG
Make it clear that everyone has a role to play in preventing VAWG, including governments, media, schools,
workplaces, communities, families and individuals. Give practical examples relevant to your context in-
cluding small tasks that can be done as part of everyday life as well as large-scale societal level changes
that are needed. Ensure that the onus of responsibility in cases of violence against women and girls does
not fall on the victim and make it clear that it is not her fault, nor her job to prevent it from happening.
See the full guide: http://www.thelookout.org.au/sites/default/files/11_Ways.Full_Guide.pdf

Using media messages or communication objectives and proceeding); and can also increase the risk of further
facilitating conversations which challenge gender roles violence against them or their children, for example,
and tackle inequality can take many different forms: through unintended exposure of their location to a
violent partner.
• Using drama that does not position women in a
‘passive’ role and men in an ‘active’ role. Visible, em- There have been cases where after the woman dis-
powered female role models are absolutely critical to cussed the violence she had experienced in media, she
having girls, boys, women and men see that women faced further attacks from the perpetrator or other fam-
and girls can live their lives differently to the current ily members, resulting in further harm, including death.
expected ‘norm’.
• Using social media to increase the visibility of wom-

Example: In Spain, a woman was murdered
en from minority groups that face discrimination
by her ex-husband in 1997 thirteen days after
as role models in leadership roles, both locally and
appearing on television and reporting the vio-
nationally.
lence that she had suffered because of him. This
case was followed by other comparable cases
• Using alternative forms of media, including social
in 1998, 1999 and 2007. As a result of these
media and community radio, to facilitate inspiring
incidents, the Spanish Law on Gender Based
conversations about women and girls’ experiences,
violence included provisions on media report-
views, activism and resistance.
ing. Specifically, it articulated that “reports
concerning violence against women, within
• Approaching news and entertainment media partners
the requirements of journalistic objectivity,
with real life stories that highlight women’s resilience
shall do the utmost to defend human rights
in the face of violence instead of just focusing on their
and the freedom and dignity of the female vic-
victimisation. These might include ‘fly on the wall’ re-
tims of gender violence and their children. They
ports (“unmediated reports which aim at showing the
shall take special care in the graphic treatment
real behaviour of people, without the mediation of
of such items”. (Article 14 of Spanish Organic
cameras or interventions from the journalists) about
Law 1/2004.
the work of interesting women activists of all ages
and backgrounds, or what inspired the setting up of
a women’s support service; or the women behind a Sources: http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/espana/2007/11/22/0003119573508
3733946925.htm and http://justiciadegenero.com/en/organic-law-12004-
grassroots campaign to challenge VAWG. of-28-december-on-integrated-protection-measures-against-gender-
violence-spain/
Engaging Survivors
As such, it is important to consider at the outset
Having survivors involved in the communications whether victim/survivor story-telling is truly relevant
can be very powerful for listeners, viewers and for to the media partnership that is being supported. If
the survivor who may find the experience empower- it is the case, discussions with media organizations
ing and cathartic. However, given the ethical and must be engaged early and a relevant protocol should
safety issues that are extremely sensitive in cases of be developed which also addresses ethical and safety
violence, informed consent and measures to support considerations, including acquiring informed consent
and protect the victim are paramount. Journalists can from the individual(s) being interviewed and referrals
sometimes push for victims/survivors to “tell all.” For to support services and/or having a counsellor on hand.
some women, this kind of public story-telling can be
a positive and empowering experience. For others, it
can be unexpectedly distressing/retraumatizing; can
affect the outcome of their case (if it is in a judicial

Survivor Advocates (Australia)
In 2000, in Australia, a victim/survivor advocate programme was established within a family violence crisis
service. The programme was one part of a strategic framework developed across the state of Victoria to
improve media reporting. The framework recognized that a key part of improving news media reporting of
VAWG was meeting media requests for stories that could put a face and human element to the statistics.
Such programmes now exist across the state, including on sexual violence, and involve training women
victims/survivors who want to tell their stories on what to expect and how to manage media interviews,
so that they feel empowered and confident to discuss VAWG, as well as provision of support leading up
to, during and after interviews (including linking them into ongoing support services if required). The
programmes have been highly successful at ensuring that women who tell their stories of violence are
informed, supported and empowered, while simultaneously increasing the number of survivors who can
advocate through the media and public events.
For more information on the survivor advocate programme in Victoria, Australia see https://www.
safesteps.org.au/our-advocacy/survivor-advocate-program/ and http://whe.org.au/what-we-do/
prevention-of-violence-against-women/
Resources: most common types of media are news and current

affairs, entertainment and creative media, and social
WHO Ethical and safety recommendations media, reaching populations through mediums, such
for researching, documenting and monitor- as print, audio, digital and visual formats. Working with
ing sexual violence in emergencies: http:// media to promote gender equality, respect for diversity
endvawnow.org/uploads/browser/files/ and non-violence may require engagement with a par-
WHO%20Ethics%20and%20Safety.pdf ticular industry, the content being produced, as well
as the mediums through which the content it is being
WHO Ethical and safety recommendations channelled.
for interviewing trafficked women: http://
endvawnow.org/en/tools/view/670-who-
ethical-and-safety-recommendations-for- 6.3.1 News and Current Affairs
interviewing-trafficked-women-2003.html The news media - media that focus on delivering
news to the general public or a target public – cannot
WHO Putting Women First: Ethical and Safety be disconnected from the subjects and events they
Recommendations for Research on Domestic report on. As news media actors select, articulate,
Violence Against Women: http://apps.who.int/ and disseminate information, they are implicated in
iris/bitstream/10665/251759/1/9789241510189- the public discourse that informs social beliefs and
eng.pdf behaviours. News media is at once an indicator and a
propagator of the state of affairs in any given society,
it serves as both “a mirror and an agent” (Galvão IDB
2015). The manner in which violence against women
6.3 Exploring opportunities through is treated in media discourse is crucial: if the subject
media content is not treated carefully, media actors risk inadvertently
further harming the victim and/or compounding and
Media content is diverse, communicating vast infor- perpetuating the enabling environment for violence
mation and experiences for audiences. Some of the against women. Alternatively, it can play a crucial role

in addressing those social norms and stereotypes that extremely fast under the ‘24 hour news cycle’ as
condone violence. events unfold and different people respond, meaning
that many journalists often rely on people they know
Global research indicates that women’s representation, instead of seeking out for new contributors. Positively
gender equality and violence against women reporting influencing this challenging context requires a multi-
are very weak and have remained so for decades. The faceted approach.
Global Media Monitoring Project found (GMMP 2015):
Approaching news media
• Since 2000, only 10 per cent of all stories have fo-
cused on women with the number declining to 7 Appropriate planning is necessary to design inter-
and 5 per cent in the areas of political and economic ventions for the news media, including those that
news respectively. can respond to the shorter-term, ad-hoc and often
hectic news cycle needs, as well as, those that can
• In digital news and news tweets, the number rises to contribute to a longer-term change through capacity-
26 per cent, but remains well below parity. building of the organizations and its personnel (staff
and freelancers).
• Gender stereotypes continue to be firmly entrenched
with only 4 percent of news (television, print, radio Recommendations include:
and digital) challenging gender stereotypes.
• Establishing relationships with news media produc-
• Domestic violence survivors are still largely portrayed ers to share findings on content analysis that has
negatively though there has been improvement over been undertaken; identify challenges to improved
a decade, with 27 per cent being portrayed as survi- reporting; and develop a plan to support longer-term
vors in 2015 as opposed to 6 per cent in 2005. changes (e.g. forging relationships with issue experts
to review content before it is published; provide on-
Understanding values and practices of news media going gender training for journalists; assisting with
the production of gender-sensitive policies and con-
Broadly, the key guiding professional and ethical tent guidelines, etc.)
values of news journalism are a commitment to: ac-
curacy, fairness, balance and impartiality. The news • Developing contacts at the target media outlets
media in most contexts, especially where it is not state as early as possible and meet them at their conve-
controlled or heavily influenced, usually does not see nience. Google News, Twitter and other social media
itself as having a ‘proposition’ or as being aligned to provide useful information about which journalists
any particular social or political cause. The values of work where and what they are interested in.
neutrality, autonomy and freedom should be central
to editorial decision-making. Media workers expect • Learning the schedules and timelines for news
to be approached, less on the basis of the positive production and advocating for the inclusion of spe-
“moral” impact that the story may have on society, and cific stories in the media outlets’ planning diaries
rather on the basis of a potential story with a strong can help. Practitioners can liaise with existing media
‘news value’. focal points or media expert within or outside their
organization on an ongoing basis or can develop
Regular editorial meetings usually determine which media contact in advance of specific events or days
news stories should be covered under tight deadlines of significance, such as the International Women’s
and news journalists may then have only very limited Day (8th March), Day for the Elimination of Violence
time to find substantiating information and to set against Women (25th November) and Human Rights
up interviews and debates. News stories can change Day (10th December).

For a full calendar of international days, see: Directory of media for women by women:
http://www.un.org/en/sections/observan http://www.wifp.org/publications/directory-
ces/international-days/ of-womens-media/
• Maintaining updated lists of experts, relevant re- She Source Expert Database: http://www.
ports, briefing notes and evidence to be provided to womensmediacenter.com/shesource/
journalists when they need them.
Women’s Media Center: She Source (USA)
SheSource is an online database of female experts working across diverse topics related to gender equality,
including VAWG, available to speak to the media. It was created by the Women’s Media Center (WMC) in
response to the lack of female experts in media, and is designed to serve journalists, producers and bookers
who need female guests and sources. Women can register themselves as experts and journalists, produc-
ers, and bookers can search the database for the expertise they need. The WMC also supports women
who do not feel they have enough media experience to be comfortable being interviewed through their
‘Progressive Women’s Voices’ programme, a media leadership training programme that gives women ad-
vanced training and tools to position themselves as media spokespeople in their fields, helping to change
the conversation on issues that fill headlines.
Read more about the Progressive Women’s Voices programme: https://www.womensmediacenter.com/

about/training/progressive-womens-voices
Women Make the News Thailand Online Database (Thailand)
The Bangkok Office of UNESCO launched a database containing the names of Thai female reporters and
expert journalists to contribute to the promotion of gender equality in Thai media.
Access the database: www.WMNThailand.org
For more information, see: http://bangkok.unesco.org/content/gender-equality-media-and-better-stories-

nbtc-bolsters-support-women-make-news-thailand
In addition to planning engagement ahead of time, news coverage to relay specific communication objec-
there are often opportunities to piggyback on cur- tives or to draw attention to relevant campaigns and
rent events. This entails using ongoing stories and interventions.

Piggybacking Examples
• A news story arises involving trafficking, a high-profile prosecution, or a well-known person’s comments
on sexual violence. This can present an opportunity to call news desks and offer existing research/knowl-
edge and campaign/advocacy messages. This also provides opportunities to offer guest commentating
or support for direct news production by recommending individuals from an expert database.
• A storyline relating to VAWG is prominently being featured in an ongoing TV drama/telenovela. This

presents an opportunity to frame the issues through radio news programmes and phone-in shows or
through editorials in newspapers.
• Blogs, YouTube videos or podcasts that portray violence against women, sexist, discriminatory or stereotypi-
cal representations of men and women can present the opportunity to comment within the discussion
thread or can be used together with a discussion guide through social networks and/or in training.
Radio can also provide an important platform for en-

gaging news and current events. Approaches specific Examples of Feminist Radio and Talks
to radio can include:
For examples of radio stations, see:
• Building the capacity of mainstream radio an-
• Women’s Liberation Radio News - https://
nouncers, DJs, MCs and hosts to incorporate
wlrnmedia.wordpress.com/
gender-sensitive topics, messages and discussions in
their existing programmes. • Women’s International News Gathering
Service - http://www.wings.org/
• Developing and pitch a long-term engagement se- • Women’s Institute for Freedom of the Press -
ries that can be aired on a regular (e.g. weekly) basis http://www.wifp.org/
to cover a range of topics related to gender equality,
ending discrimination, harmful practices and vio- For Feminist Podcasts, see:
lence against girls and women.
• https://player.fm/featured/feminist
• Identifying stations which broadcast interviews on For examples of how video talks have been used
social issues and propose to be their guest, e.g. for an to disseminate powerful messages around
interview, a call-in program or a talk show. important topics, see the following Ted Talks
categories:
• Mobilizing like-minded network partners and con-
• Feminism - https://www.ted.com/topics/
stituencies to call and support your point. Where
feminism
possible, ask the radio or TV station to provide you
with a recording of the interview – this can be a help- • Violence against Women – https://www.ted.
ful reference and can be used in other media formats, com/search?q=violence+against+women
campaigning or community mobilization efforts. • Gender Equality - https://www.ted.com/search?
q=gender+equality
• Masculinities - https://www.ted.com/
search?q=masculinities

Feminist radio is women-centred radio programming
that promotes non-sexist and non-stereotyping com- Handle with Care: A Guide to Responsible
munications focusing on issues affecting women and Media Reporting of Violence against Women-
girls. Many feminist radio organizations are community- http://w w w.endvawnow.org/uploads/
based, broadcasting increasingly over the internet to browser/files/handle_withcare_zerotoler-
reach a wider audience. Other audio formats that have ance_2011.pdf
gained in popularity and provide greater reach include
podcasts and streamed video talks. Responsible Reporting Guidelines for
Journalists - http://www.evas.org.au/images/
Resources: docs/Responsible-Reporting-guidelines-2013.
pdf
The International Federation of Journalists
Guidelines for Reporting on Violence against Gender-Sensitive Language Guidelines -
Women - http://ethicaljournalisminitiative. http://www.unwomen.org/-/media/head
org/en/contents/ifj-guidelines-for-reporting- quarters/attachments/sections/library/gender-
on-violence-against-women inclusive%20language/guidelines-on-gender-
inclusive-language-en.pdf?la=en&vs=2129
Media Guidelines for Reporting on
Gender-Based Violence in Humanitarian Gender Terminology Database- http://
Contexts- http://gbvaor.net/wp-content/ www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/
uploads/2013/07/GBV-Media-Guidelines- gender-inclusive-language
Final-Provisional-25July2013.pdf
Gender glossary - https://trainingcentre.un-
GLAAD’s Media Reference Guide- https:// women.org/mod/glossary/view.php?id=36
www.glaad.org/reference
The Diversity Style Guide - https://www.di-

versitystyleguide.com/

6.3.2 Advertising
Advertising uses images and audio for the express and girls have of their bodies and images affecting
purpose of marketing ideas, services and things for ideas of self-worth and self-esteem. Men and boys can
people to consume. Images can be as or more pow- be similarly affected by feeling that they must live up
erful than words in conveying messages about the to and adhere to the macho depictions that are pre-
roles and perceptions of men and women in society. sented in advertising.
Research related to gender equality in advertising
reveals that women are underrepresented (especially Research has demonstrated that when women and
when considering that they dominate purchasing); girls do not feel good about the way they look that they
have less screen time; less speaking time; and far less are very likely to opt out of important life activities;
words spoken associated with power and achievement stop themselves from eating or otherwise put their
(Geena Davis Institute 2017). Advertising can have a health at risk; have not been assertive in their opinion
powerful impact on the mindsets of girls and boys and or stuck to their decision; feel under pressure to never
girls, women and men. Advertising continues, in many make mistakes or show weakness; and believe media
instances, to reinforce negative gender – stereotypes and advertising set an unrealistic standard of beauty
including objectification of women’s bodies used in most women can’t ever achieve and should do a better
the sale of various commodities. Advertising images job of portraying women of diverse physical attractive-
and messaging affect the perceptions that women ness (Unilever 2016).
The Association of National Advertisers #SeeHer (USA)
The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) launched the #SeeHer movement in 2016 to improve the
accurate portrayal of women and girls in advertising and media by 20 percent by 2020, the 100th an-
niversary of women gaining the right to vote in the U.S. To track success, it created GEM™, a data-driven
methodology that identifies unconscious gender bias. GEM™ provides measurement standards for ads/
TV programming. The methodology was made open source for the marketing, media, and entertainment
industries, and is used by marketers, researchers, agencies, and content creators throughout the adver-
tising and media communities. Increasingly, GEM™ is being integrated into advertisers’ media strategy,
implementation, and review criteria.
Since launch, almost 60,000 ads have been tested by ABX, ANA’s syndicated research partner for GEM™.
To ensure the best context for ads, twice a year GEM™ scores are captured for Nielsen’s top programs and
member-selected broadcast and cable shows.
- Ads with positive GEM™ scores drive purchase intent by 26 percent among all consumers; 45 percent
among women.
- Ads with positive GEM™ scores increase brand reputation by 11 percent.
- Ads that portray women accurately work better when paired with programming that also portrays
women and girls realistically.
To learn more about the initiative, see: https://seeher.com/

The nature of the advertising industry might make Broad recommendations for eliminating stereotypes
it challenging to approach, however, more recently, from ads, include (World Federation of Advertisers, 2018):
the industry itself is demonstrating increased inter-
est and commitment to addressing negative gender • Encourage diversity in teams that are producing the
stereotypes and inequality through large-scale cam- ads.
paigns and initiatives. Research conducted across 33
different categories (e.g. cosmetics, insurance, social • Identify where the brand can make a real difference
causes), found that men continue to dominate vi- in its supply chain, with consumers and workers to
sual and audio spots and that this discrepancy had identify structural challenges that inhibit the brand
hardly changed over a 10-year period (Geena Davis from embracing and celebrating diversity.
Institute, 2017). The same research also found that
dialogue spoken by men was 29% and 28% more • Go beyond gender-sensitive marketing and address
likely to be associated with words related to power other aspects of diversity (e.g. race, national origin,
and achievement. Unilever conducted a year-long religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, etc.) and
audit of the advertising industry, documenting that ensure these measures run through the whole value
40% of women did not relate to the way women were chain, including suppliers.
portrayed in ads. Men too were portrayed in very basic
and stereotypical ways (i.e. tough, rugged, heterosex- • Avoid one-off or short-term initiatives (e.g. fem-
ual, homophobic and aggressive) (Unilever, 2016). On vertising campaigns) and invest in long-term
the contrary, the research showed that progressive commitments that demonstrate real change.
ads are a quarter more effective and delivered better
brand impact (UNILEVER, 2016). • Track performance over time.
Advertising guidance on depicting gender stereotypes likely to cause harm or serious or

widespread offence (CAP and BCAP, UK)
Two Committees in the UK covering non-broadcast advertising and direct and promotional marketing and
broadcast advertising put forward guidance on the interpretation of the UK codes related to the same. The
guidance was developed to support advertisers, agencies and media owners on how to interpret the codes.
The guidance covers topics, including:
- Scenarios featuring gender-stereotypical roles and characteristics
- Scenarios featuring pressure to conform to an idealised gender-stereotypical body shape or - physical

features
- Scenarios aimed at or featuring children
- Scenarios aimed at or featuring potentially vulnerable groups
- Scenarios featuring people who don’t conform to a gender stereotype
See the guide: https://www.asa.org.uk/uploads/assets/uploaded/f39a881f-d8c9-4534-95f180d1bfe7b953.pdf

Unstereotype Alliance
The Unstereotype Alliance convened by UN Women with a powerful global coalition of more than 30 in-
dustry leaders behind the common goal of eliminating gender bias and harmful gender stereotypes from
their advertising is developing new standards and tools to advance the agenda and measure changes.
The Alliance has progressed toward its objective to develop tools to measure progress towards ending
stereotypes in advertising. It has agreed to adopt a proven methodology developed by UN Women and
the UN Global Compact, the Gender Gap Analysis Tool, to assess business practices. Building on tools like
GEMTM, a widely used methodology in the United States, the Unstereotype Alliance aims to embrace a
global advertising measurement tool which will help brands tackle stereotypes and track progress across
developed and emerging markets.
To learn more, see: http://www.unstereotypealliance.org/en
6.3.3 Entertainment and Creative Media Resources:
Entertainment and creative media, whether through GeenaDavisInstituteonGenderinMedia:https://

television, video, film, radio and live drama, allows a seejane.org/research-informs-empowers/
kind of engagement that other media such as news
media does not provide. This medium is highly popular Common Sense Media: https://www.com-
across age groups with the potential to reach mass monsensemedia.org/
inter-generational audiences. Like other media types,
entertainment media (movies, shows, games, music, Another stream of work entails the identification of en-
apps, books, magazines, etc.) often reinforces traditional try points to co-produce or develop programming with
gender roles and perpetuates negative gender stereo- the express purpose of tackling negative social norms
types. Research that looked at gender roles in 120 films and advancing pro-social values, beliefs, attitudes
across ten of the most profitable film territories in the and practices. Entertainment education, commonly
world found that women are not well represented, that referred to as “edutainment” has been a popular and
casts are not well balanced; that women have much ever-increasing entry point for achieving this. Over de-
less speaking time on screen; and that they are often cades, evaluations have shown positive impacts of using
portrayed in stereotypical and sexualized ways (Geena edutainment to impact on social norms (Singhal, Arvind
Davis Institute, 2014). These depictions have a consider- and Rogers, 1999; Airhihenbuwe and Obregon, 2000).
ably negative impact on viewers, especially on young
people who are heavily influenced by popular culture. Examples of edutainment span television, digital
streaming, radio series and in-person theatre, using
One stream of work within popular culture and enter- formats, such as games, public service announcements
tainment is advocating for change as within any other (PSAs) and dramas/soap operas/novelas. These por-
industry to ensure more gender-equitable representa- trayals allow the viewer/listener to see the causes and
tions in the industries themselves as well as within the consequences of violence against girls and women
content that is produced to ensure non-discriminatory through the context of individual characters and
and non-violent depictions and messaging, while through their dilemmas, emotions and lives. They al-
encouraging content that is female empowering, eq- low listeners/viewers to empathize and think about
uitable and respectful of diversity. what they might have done in a similar situation.
These formats, when well designed, can also help to
undo stereotypes and myths related to gender, race,
disability and other characteristics often used to dis-
criminate against certain groups of people.

AdhaFULL (India)
A UNICEF and BBC Media Action project in India, AdhaFULL, aims at getting young people to examine social
norms for girls and women which lead to sex-selective abortion, child marriage and restrictions on girls’
education. It is based around a 78-episode TV ‘whodunnit’ drama starring three young people.
The show is focused around Kitty, Tara and Adrak, three average teenagers who work together to solve
cases and mysteries in their small town, while dealing with the trials of growing up.
The project seeks to encourage young people to challenge traditions that perpetuate gender stereotypes
as well as increasing the ability of teenagers to take action to improve their lives. A radio discussion show
Full-on-Nikki runs alongside the TV show, and new media is being mobilised to continue the conversation
online, including Facebook and Twitter profiles, a smart-phone game, and audio content for mobiles, all
based on study of the target audience’s media habits.
For more information, see: http://unicef.in/PressReleases/420/Launch-of-the-AdhaFULL-initiative-by-

UNICEF-and-BBC-Media-Action-India
As with any media production, the best drama/ with the media workers involved. This is also the best
edutainment projects aimed at preventing VAWG will way to create long-term relationships and future col-
be produced when practitioners in the field of VAWG laboration, both of which are key to creating broad and
work in a well-established and trusting partnership sustainable change.
Soul City - South Africa and beyond
Soul City is one of the world’s longest running media programmes aimed at preventing VAWG. Running
since the early 1990s, it has become a very popular national flagship show. It runs in seasons of 13 one-
hour episodes which are accompanied by radio output, advertising and published materials. It has dealt
with multiple VAWG issues, reaching millions of people in South Africa and beyond. It has been funded by
Government, multilateral donors and corporates. It has been externally evaluated and it also publishes its
own research on audience reach and impact on its website.
Using an edutainment strategy, all Soul City series are developed through a rigorous formative research
process. This involves consulting both audiences and experts. All materials are thoroughly tested with
audiences to ensure that the materials are effective. Through formative research, the lived experiences
and voices of the communities are captured, giving the materials resonance and credibility. In Soul City’s
process, the following steps are crucial to designing appropriate messaging:
• Consulting widely with experts, audience members and key stakeholders on the topic issues. This
includes government as well as civil society which include non-governmental and community-based
organizations, activists, and academics.

• Consulting audience members about what they know, their concerns, their attitudes to the issue and the
barriers that exist to positive change.
• After broadcast, the materials are evaluated. Lessons learned are integrated into future productions.
Soul City is a very significant series and has a long-term commitment to portraying and proactively tackling
complex social issues including VAWG. Evaluations of the programme show a real change in willingness of
VAWG victims/survivors to seek support and for relatives to support victims/survivors, alongside greater
awareness of the availability of the national helpline. Those surveyed were more likely to recognize that
domestic violence is serious, however, broader norms around its acceptability were less obviously shifted
(Heise, 2011). These findings reinforce the success of reaching large audiences through this medium and
the need for an accompanying strategy of direct community engagement to improve outcomes related to
attitudes and behaviour change.
To learn more about the initiative see: http://www.soulcity.org.za/projects/soul-city-series
Depending on the type of production (e.g. a television • Seeking support early on from a TV company owner/
show) can be costly and complex, making it chal- director and/or Government as a key sponsor/part-
lenging to persuade media houses to produce them. ner. This is especially important if the intent is to
However, the success they have demonstrated has develop a significant media production or original
gone a long way in obtaining support from govern- TV drama.
ments and donors.
Prior to making a first approach, read about other
Locating and approaching drama makers can be edutainment work and how it came about and which
done in different ways. It is possible to have a good people made it happen. The case studies in this hand-
media idea but be unclear how to find the right media book provide a good starting point. Next, conduct
people to talk to. Who to approach depends to some research on entertainment media workers through
extent on the scale of the intended intervention, and some of the following methods:
the way media is produced in the local context. Some
questions to consider include: Is original drama made • Google drama makers’ recent and previous work
locally? Is there buy in? Is there an audience for online/
streaming video? Are public service announcements a • Check their work on Twitter and other social media
feasible and effective method? Does the target audi-
ence use mobile phones or are TV, radio or in-person • Look up any awards they have won or interviews
mediums preferred? they have given
There is not a single right way of making the first ap- • Use media companies’ website descriptions of their
proach. Some ideas include: productions and workers
• Contacting a scriptwriter that may be able to pro- • Use Wikipedia and the arts and media trade press
vide an introduction to the media house. to find out who has made what and where they are
working. It should however be noted that informa-
• Identifying a writer online and connect to them by tion about Global South media practitioners may
talking about some of the work they recently pro- not be readily available online or on Wikipedia
duced and how it relates to the work that you want
to do.

Girls Not Brides – Lessons from Edutainment
Girls Not Brides undertook a study to determine the value of Entertainment-Education initiatives in chang-
ing attitudes related to child marriage. The study used desk research, key informant interviews and an
assessment of undertakings in nine regionally diverse countries. The main findings and lessons identified
where:
• Different channels allow social messages to be reinforced. The Entertainment-Education approach is

usually and should be part of a larger behavioural change communication programme employing vari-
ous strategies and formats. Projects often combine several formats and delivery channels. Choosing the
edutainment format depends on various factors, such as the existing media market, the availability of
different media in a specific region, the budget and the preference of the intended audience.
• Individual, community and broader society need to be taken into account. Initiatives help to address
social norms by starting conversations at the individual, community and broader societal level and tar-
geting actors in the community such as girls, boys, parents, community members and leaders.
• Using diverse characters/people to target specific audiences works well. By choosing different transi-
tional role models, tailored approaches can be taken for a specific target group.
• Initiatives must be based on a deep understanding of social norms, stigmas and misconceptions
prevalent in the target community. Before an initiative starts, it is essential to find out more about the
audience and to understand why people are doing what they are doing and who influences them.
• Collaboration between substantive and technical experts is essential. Brainstorming with behaviour
change professionals and creative professionals is the first step in the creative production and design
workshop process. This enables both tacit and explicit professional knowledge to be shared.
• Investment must be made to measure progress and understand how change happens.
• Edutainment is cost-effective in the long-run, offsetting the high initial costs.
• It is important to be mindful of unintended and undesired consequences and be ready to respond and
mitigate any harm.
To learn more about the initiative and the findings, see: https://www.girlsnotbrides.org/wp-content/up-
loads/2017/02/Entertainment-Education-and-child-marriage-scoping-study-Jan-2017-2.pdf
If feasibility or garnering buy-in is an issue, alter- consumers but not as producers. Evidence has dem-
natives can be employed, such as independently onstrated the effectiveness of community drama in
producing through a streaming service or engaging re-creating scenes from TV shows and movies inside
through radio and/or community theatre. the community to highlight different issues, includ-
ing VAWG and gender inequality. These techniques
Community drama and popular theatre have been are useful for linking social issues to media products
successfully employed in low-resource settings, and for creating community advocates who can
where people may be able to access media as lobby for change.

Arts in Action (Eastern Caribbean)
UN Women in partnership with the Bureau of Gender Affairs in Dominica, supported an applied arts train-
ing programme for theatre practitioners based on a model developed by Arts in Action (Department of
Creative and Festival Arst of the University of West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago). The training programme
is a key strategy and intervention in UN Women’s social mobilization programme to prevent and respond
to violence against women in the Eastern Caribbean. The methodology highlights social issues through
the performing arts allowing artists to express problems and negative behaviours in a way that their audi-
ences can feel how these problems touch them personally.
For additional information, see: https://www.facebook.com/artsinactiontt
Radio is another medium that has wide reach, espe- voice to women and girls, making their views known
cially in low and middle-income countries. This outlet on decisions that concern them. Community radio also
has often been used to address social norms change provides an opportunity to share timely and relevant
and radio partners are likely to remain important in information on development issues, opportunities, ex-
media interventions preventing VAWG. This is espe- periences, life skills and public interests. In the age of
cially important for communities and populations multimedia and online communication, community
whose access to information and self-expression radio can provide a bridge from local communities to
are often marginalized from mass channels of com- the global information society and by sharing infor-
munication. More sharply focused, customized and mation and knowledge derived from the Internet in
essentially small and local media are crucial in giving response to listeners requests and interests.
The Forum for Women Journalists for Gender Equality (Angola)
In Angola, the Forum for Women Journalists for Gender Equality (FWJGE), apart from providing gender-sensi-
tive training for journalists, has also brought women journalists together, across news and entertainment
sets, to create media work on gender equality and VAWG prevention. The group helped create the long-
running radio drama Estrada da Vida (‘Streets of Life’) which focuses on tackling violence against women
and girls and on the value of engagement in local politics. The programme combines media information
and entertainment to foster public discussions about the realities of women’s lives and how they can
improve. The main goal was to inform people about their rights, particularly as Angola was emerging from
a period of war and harsh economic challenges. In this case, drama was considered the appropriate means
to reach the whole population, as the language used in news broadcasting was considered too complex
for this purpose. Using simple language communicated through relatable characters made the drama
resonate with a vast audience.
For more information, see: http://forumdemulheresjornalistas.org/

Worth 100 Men (Arab States)
“Worth 100 Men” is a radio fiction series in 30 episodes commissioned by the Womanity Foundation, which
works on women’s empowerment using media. The series aimed at engaging audiences in the Arab States
region in a constructive debate on women’s rights and gender roles, by providing information and rein-
forcing positive behaviours towards gender equality. Through a compelling and entertaining story line,
the radio fiction depicts examples of common situations faced by Arab Women, namely as it relates to
women’s social and economic empowerment, participation in public life, exposure to domestic violence
and sexual harassment, family relationships and romance.
The series was broadcasted between March and September 2014, in 10 radio stations across the Arab
world, namely Palestine, Egypt (on 3 stations), Morocco, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
The broadcasting was followed by radio talk-shows focusing on issues such as domestic violence, sexual
harassment, economic empowerment, and gender roles. The evaluation of the programme demonstrated
the value of such facilitated discussions, as its participants were more likely afterwards to recognize abuse
when they encountered it and encourage others who experience it to speak out, while they were less likely
to express attitudes justifying violence. Long-term change still needs to be tracked to identify the full
impact beyond the initial promising research findings.
For more information about the project: https://womanity.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/150223-

FINAL-report-B100-Ragl-no-annex.pdf
Resources: How to Do Community Radio: A Primer for

Community Radio Operators
Community Radio Handbook - http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communi
- http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communi cation-and-information/resources/publi-
cation-and-information/resources/publications-and-communication-materials/
cations-and-communication-materials/ publications/full-list/how-to-do-commu-
publications/full-list/community-radio- nity-radio-a-primer-for-community-radio-
handbook/ operators/
Community Media: A Good Practice Handbook Creating an ongoing conversation along with the
- http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communi edutainment programme, through both other me-
cation-and-information/resources/publi- dia formats and face-to-face engagement in the
cations-and-communication-materials/ community, is the critical place for having these con-
publications/full-list/community-media-a- versations about women and men and inequality and
good-practice-handbook/ challenging stereotypes. This contributes to building
an alternative vision, and helping the community see
that others are moving and changing too.

Leh Wi Know/Let Us Know (Sierra Leone)
The complementarity of an edutainment-based project with additional media work and the essential
community outreach was successfully demonstrated in Sierra Leone. From 2014-2016, BBC Media Action
produced a regular, compelling 15-minute drama programme, ‘Bamba Community’, and followed each
episode with a 45-minute phone-in, “Leh Wi Know” (Let Us Know) which explored an issue covered in the
drama including domestic violence and women’s ownership of land. The phone-ins included guests who
were experts on women’s rights and the law, so that callers could access advice on their situations as well
as critically discuss social norms around gender.
There is no single radio station of large reach in Sierra Leone so BBC Media Action worked with many
local radio partners in the country to deliver the programme. Local youth NGO Restless Development was
enabled to use the planned programming to deliver community workshops to talk with teenage girls
about their rights.
For more information, see: http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaaction/where-we-work/africa/sierra-leone/

womens-rights-radio-show
Successful initiatives have demonstrated that bring- might think ‘yes but that is very unusual’ or ‘this has
ing the characters and themes of the edutainment nothing to do with me’, but a radio phone-in sched-
programme into peoples’ lives (through social media, uled directly following the segment might involve
social events, billboards, flyers and community in- many people disclosing ‘that happened to me’.
terventions) has a significant impact in questioning
existing norms and motivating victims/survivors of Depending on the organization’s capacity, some tra-
violence and harmful practices to “speak up” about ditional media campaigning techniques can also be
their experience. adopted to increase the impact of the edutainment
project.
It also involves people hearing that other people are
changing their minds, which is a decisive step towards
social norms change. When individuals are exposed
to a drama highlighting harmful practices or explor-
ing different forms of power, control and abuse, they

C’est la vie!: a pan-African educational TV Show
« C’est la vie! » is a unique inter-agency initiative (WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA and UN Women), informed by best
practices and supported by the French Muskoka Fund to reduce maternal, newborn and child mortality. In
2016, the programme had over 20 million viewers in 7 African cities.
“C’est la vie”’ is articulated as: (i) An educational TV show (Season 1: 26 episodes of 26 minutes each / Season
2: 36 episodes) broadcasted on pan-African TV channels and a potential network of 40 national TV stations
across Africa, (ii) A regional multiplatform campaign designed to tackle issues on reproductive health and
rights, family planning, maternal and child health, quality of care, gender-based violence and to promote
debates on these topics. The initiative was carried out through a radionovela (being piloted in Niger), radio
and TV spots, TV and radio talk shows, mobile and web counselling, visuals and brochures, the internet
and social media sites. Information websites keep visitors up-to-date and further develop the show’s main
characters online, additional scenes and plots are published on social media and visitors are invited to
share their opinions or to suggest new topics and storylines for the show.
Its communication campaign relies on intensive use of mass media and multiplatform media and an in-
novative public-private partnership in order to:
I. Inform a wide audience across the African continent with a high cost/efficiency ratio, and
II. Stimulate debate on social norms and personal behaviour, while questioning traditions and promoting
positive social change.
For more information, see: http://www.comminit.com/edutain-africa/content/cest-la-vie-television-

programme
6.3.4 Social Media and Information

Communication Technologies in access, use and safety between them. As of 2017,
the gender digital divide remains significant. Women
Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) con- are less likely to make use of the Internet in most
tinue to redefine and revolutionize the way we all live countries particularly in developing countries. This
and work. They provide unprecedented prospects for underrepresentation is more obvious in least develop-
increasing the opportunities and overall well-being of ing countries, where only one in seven women uses
women and girls. ICTs have the potential to accelerate internet compared with one in five men. This divide
their connectivity, voice and agency within the politi- has grown significantly as tracked over a five-year
cal, economic and social fabric of society. Harnessing period (2012-2017) in Africa (ITU, 2017).
this technology to advance gender equality and
women’s empowerment is not only vital for women The gender digital divide goes beyond simple access
and girls, but critical throughout the 2030 Agenda for issues and is inextricably linked to factors such as tech-
Sustainable Development. nical know-how; education about the benefits and
applications of technology; the content and methods
Technologies, in and of themselves, may be neutral by which relevant skills are taught; and the ability of
and their potential the same for men and women, women and girls to use technology and engage with
however, social and cultural norms and structural bar- the internet without the fear of and/or experience of
riers mean that in practice there are great differences discrimination and violence.

Working in the social media space is not only about le- Resources:
veraging technologies and platforms to promote and
advocate for social norms change, but also requires Internet Governance Forum (IGF) 2015: Best
working to improve access, the skills to engage and Practice Forum (BPF) on Online Abuse and
the rampant abuse that women and girls face online Gender-Based Violence Against Women:
and via other communications technologies. http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/docu
ments/best-practice-forums/623-bpf-on
Common Sense Media: https://www.com- line-abuse-and-gbv-against-women/file
monsensemedia.org/social-media
#HerNetHerRights Resource Pack on ending
UNODC Safer Internet for Children- http:// online violence against women & girls in
w w w.unodc .org/dohadeclaration/en/ Europe: https://www.womenlobby.org/IMG/
news/2018/02/leading-our-children-to-a-saf- pdf/hernetherrights_resource_pack_2017_
er-internet--from-preschool-to-high-school. web_version.pdf
html
Hollaback Online Harassment Resources:
The global scope and magnitude of violence against https://www.ihollaback.org/resources/ and
women online is not known, but studies indicate that https://iheartmob.org/about
a large proportion of women have experienced some
form, including, but not limited to: sexist and deroga- Association for Progressive Communications
tory comments, intimidation and threats, stalking, Technology-related Violence against Women:
doxing, trolling, non-consensual sharing of personal https://genderit.org/onlinevaw/
and private content and images, and luring for the
purpose of exploitation, among other abuses (ADD The exponential growth of the internet and new tech-
APC et al). nologies are changing the rules of the game for media.
As of 2017, 80 per cent of youth across 104 countries
Various measures are required to prevent online were online (ITU 2017). This is an important context for
abuse and respond appropriately when it does occur. violence prevention work. The impact of other media
Evolving work in this area, includes: better defining (and non-media) interventions can be considerably
what constitutes online violence against women; enhanced when accompanied by social media activi-
development of international and national guidelines, ties, which enable reaching large audiences to engage
regulations, legislation and standards (with regard in a dialogue. On social media, various options exist,
for freedom of speech and privacy); collaboration such as live discussions at appointed times on Twitter,
and support to internet intermediaries to engage in Facebook and other platforms, or through Facebook fo-
institutional change processes that include gender- rums. Other linkages can also be created using YouTube
responsive policies, protocols, codes of conduct, or VIMEO channels and developing videos discussing
self-regulatory guidelines and standards, staff train- the issues identified and inviting comments. For all
ing, internal mechanisms for identifying, tracking these formats, practitioners are encouraged to hold
and reporting (with transparency) on abusive content moderated conversations given the sensitivity and
and complaints related to abuse; investments in the backlash potential of the issues discussed.
development, refinement and use of a gender-re-
sponsive ICT architecture; to continued digital literacy Globally, social media tools have already helped fuel
education for boys and girls, women and men, among enormous social and political movements and have
other interventions that are being explored in this considerably strengthened the ability of ordinary
constantly evolving area. people to challenge and change power relations in
society through platforms that can influence and mo-
bilise people. Online communities continue to grow,

providing alternative voices and perspectives with- cross over into print and broadcast media. In this re-
out having to rely on mainstream media. There are spect, social media provides an empowering platform
a number of examples where social media has been for women’s voices and can be a conduit for VAWG
used collectively by women to tell their own stories prevention work, reclaiming its power as a vehicle for
of VAWG, which have attracted enough attention to women’s resistance and solidarity.
Her Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe)

Launched by Fungai Machirori in 2012, Her Zimbabwe is an online magazine that aims to harness the
potential of digital media to share the stories of Zimbabwean women, including their stories of violence,
as well as to nurture young women’s digital activism. With support from HIVOS and Free Press Unlimited,
in 2016 Her Zimbabwe introduced the Mobile Community Zimbabwe project (ZWM3), a fellowship for
young women trained by Her Zimbabwe to apply a gender lens to digital storytelling using mobile phones.
The project equips young women with the skills to tell the alternative Zimbabwean stories marginalized
by the mainstream media. Her Zimbabwe is well set up for hosting a wide variety of content and has clear
and easy to use social media sharing options. It is an ideal platform for reaching specific and broad target
audiences to talk about gender stereotypes and VAWG prevention.
For more information, see: http://herzimbabwe.co.zw/
An unprecedented example of this is #metoo that Similar examples, include:

went viral with hundreds of thousands of women
publicly disclosing that they had experienced sexual • #ibelieveher and #ithappenshere have been used
harassment and other forms of sexual violence at to resist victim-blaming during discussion of rape
some point in their lives. Though not a new issue, this mostly in the United States,
medium allowed the alarming levels of sexual ha-
rassment to be brought to light in a very public way, • #whyloiter and #girlsatdhabas have been used to
raising mass awareness of the magnitude of the prob- challenge the restrictions on women’s access to
lem. This initial movement led to intense dialogue public spaces in India and Pakistan,
across the US and abroad from mainstream media to
the streets. It also prompted a number of intensified • #lifeinleggings has been used in Barbados to help
responses, from the firing of perpetrators from their women speak out about sexual harassment, rape
workplaces; an unprecedented level of criminal and and sexual abuse.
civil proceedings; stepped up attention by workplaces
to prevent and respond to violence; and independent
initiatives to support women who have experienced
abuse (i.e. #timesup).

The Everyday Sexism Project (United Kingdom)
The Everyday Sexism Project was launched as an extremely simple idea by an activist in the UK – a website
where women can anonymously upload short accounts of sexist treatment. These stories were more and
more frequently shared on social media, often turning into a ‘trending topic’. It has empowered women and
girls to speak out and connect with each other. It has also helped media workers to understand some parts
of women’s lives including VAWG, that mainstream media were not previously representing, in particular
the ‘everydayness’ of sexual harassment, sexist treatment, racist-sexism and its impact on women’s lives.
The project has 24 international syndications. It is free and available for replication for women everywhere.
For more information, see: Bates, L. (2014) Everyday Sexism, Simon & Schuster: London. http://everydaysex-
ism.com/
Social media campaigns can play a crucial role, if ap- • Make partnerships and plan in time to engage and
propriately planned: interact on a regular and sustained basis.
• Join and use the social media platforms you think • Be prepared to deal with backlash and unsupportive
may be right for your target audiences and planned or discriminatory remarks/ comments. Use facts
VAWG prevention work. and actual accounts or personal narratives (with
consent) where possible.
• Spend time looking at how the people and cam-
paigns who attract a wide range of followers
succeed - what is special about their content?
Bytes for All - Pakistan
‘Bytes for All’ (B4A) in Pakistan is a think tank focused on the use of Information and Communication
Technologies (ICTs) for sustainable development and strengthening human rights movements in the
country, with a focus on ending technology-driven gender-based violence. In 2013, B4A won an Avon Global
Communications Award for Exemplary Material to Combat Violence Against Women, for its Take Back the
Tech campaign, a collaborative campaign to reclaim information and communication technology to end
violence against women, drawn from the flagship Take Back the Tech global project. The campaign har-
nessed the spread of technology in Pakistan to help strengthen women’s use of technology and digital
story-telling to raise awareness of, and combat, VAWG.
During the international ’16 days of action to end violence against women’, B4A promoted powerful stories
of women and girls who experienced, resisted and challenged VAWG in their lives. The stories which were
hosted on their website, sought to challenge gender norms by highlighting the resistance and resilience
of individual women and girls who had experienced a range of forms of VAWG, including violence online.
For more information, see: www.bytesforall.pk and https://samsn.ifj.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/

ByteBack_CombatingOnlineHarassment.pdf

A number of lessons and recommendations have • Grab attention/aim to trigger the senses by creat-
been highlighted when using social media to engage ing something personal, unexpected, visual (show,
in social norms change (Liou 2013): don’t tell) (Aaker & Smith 2010). This can only be
done with full informed consent of the individuals
• Set time aside for active discussion with followers or group involved.
instead of only pre-scheduled messages at ‘peak’
times 6.4 Campaigning
A campaign is an organized effort to catalyse change in
• Use a range of multi-media forms such as photos, law, policy, institutions and/or individuals to influence
videos, podcasts (ensuring appropriateness and structures and actions (Lamb 1997). Campaigns are not
consent) equal to awareness-raising, though a campaign may
include an awareness-raising element within its strat-
• Develop an online community that can keep the egy. A campaign has specific objectives or outcomes
momentum going by providing opportunities for that it is trying to achieve. Generally, campaigns on
your followers to connect with each other violence against women and girls have sought to
change laws, institutions and policies or have sought
• Consider how you will respond to any abusive en- to change individual attitudes, behaviours and broader
gagement and set up systems for support within social norms related to gender inequality, discrimina-
your organization or group tion and violence (Coffman 2003).
• Work to the values of ‘Reward, Recognition, and Campaigns on violence against women and girls of-
Influence’; People like to get things, feel recognized ten employ a number of multi-media formats to reach
by their peers, and know that they influenced some- audiences, from digital storytelling and video PSAs to
thing tangible billboards and edutainment.
Bell Bajao/Ring the Bell (India)

Bell Bajao! – Ring the Bell is a multi-media campaign launched in 2008 by Breakthrough, a US and India-
based human rights organization. It appealed to men and boys in India to take action, whether by speaking
out or ringing a door bell, to make sure women in their communities could live free of domestic violence.
To connect with audiences across the nation, the campaign used a balanced mix of carefully selected
communications tools and techniques, including print, television, radio, touring video vans and the inter-
net to air its award-winning public service announcements, alongside community mobilization activities
such as street theatre, public forums and training for young rights advocates. It also developed a range
of educational materials such as a campaigner’s toolkit, and a discussion guide on domestic violence in
English and Hindi.
The campaign reached over 125 million people. Evaluations of Bell Bajao have found it had strong outreach
and impact. In particular, those who were reached by the vans and community mobilization work, as well
as, the TV spots, were significantly more likely to report changed attitudes and increased knowledge of
women’s rights than those who only saw the TV spots.
Read the full Bell Bajao case study: http://www.endvawnow.org/uploads/browser/files/bell_bajao_case_

study_english.pdf
To learn more about the campaign, view the videos and access the evaluation, see: http://bellbajao.org/

Campaigns themselves, however, have also been used as a strategy to advocate for change with media related
to violence against women and girls.
End News Media Sexism Campaign

The World Association for Christian Communication (WACC), the Global Media Monitoring Project
(GMMP) Network and other partners launched a campaign in 2016 to end news media sexism by 2020.
The Campaign encourages and assists national advocacy to change media policy and journalistic practice
and aims to support and highlight intensive efforts in several countries with the hope that new evidence
will emerge on strategies that work to bring about fair and equal representation of women and men in
the news media. The Campaign includes engaging quizzes and games; a media gender equality scorecard;
letter-writing and lobbying materials; a media advocacy training toolkit; analytical and other tools.
To learn more about the campaign, see: http://whomakesthenews.org/advocacy/end-news-media-

sexism-by-2020
For detailed guidance on campaigning, see: http://www.endvawnow.org/en/modules/view/3-cam-

paigns.html
Take Back the Tech! Campaign
The Association for Progressive Communication, Women’s Rights Program undertook a number of research
projects on the connection between ICT and VAW dating back to 2005. The findings from this research
prompted women’s rights and communication rights advocates to launch Take Back the Tech! in order to
engage more deeply in this critical area. Objectives of the campaign are to:
• Create safe digital spaces that protect everyone’s right to participate freely, without harassment or
threat to safety.
• Realise women’s rights to shape, define, participate, use and share knowledge, information and ICT.
• Address the intersection between women’s human rights and the internet, especially VAW.
• Recognize women’s historical and critical participation and contribution to the development of ICT.
The campaign is a collaboration among various stakeholders, working to reclaim information and com-
munication technology (ICT) to end violence against women (VAW). The campaign calls on all ICT users
– especially women and girls – to take control of technology and strategically use any ICT platform at
hand (mobile phones, instant messengers, blogs, websites, digital cameras, email, podcasts and more) for
activism against gender-based violence.
To learn more about the campaign, see: https://www.takebackthetech.net

6.5 Community Mobilization
that it is complemented through direct community
Effective and promising interventions to address com- engagement. The emerging research in this area
plex social phenomenon, such as violence against girls shows that it is integral to success. This kind of face-
and women, indicates that stand alone campaigns or to-face, grassroots community mobilisation drives
media interventions must be accompanied by a more real transformation in attitudes and behaviours
comprehensive approach to make an impact. This can (Fergus 2012). These engagements are crucial because
include employing media alongside or within well- they enable people to hear reinforcing messages from
planned and longer-term interventions in schools, various places and opens up the opportunity for them
institutions and communities. When media is the to ask questions and engage with others on the topics
entry point, it is critical to add targeted interventions through the activities they are participating in. They
within communities where the messages are being contribute to bringing the audience beyond receiving
received to engage people directly in the process of information and knowledge to dialoguing with others
social change. in a process of questioning their beliefs, attitudes and
practices. Discussions on taboo or sensitive topics also
Radio, television or even online edutainment may be help demystify perceptions about what others think
the centrepiece of the intervention, but it is critical or what the perceived community norm is.
Somos diferentes, somos iguales/We’re different, we’re equal (Nicaragua)
Puntos de Encuentro, a Nicaraguan feminist NGO ran this programme from 2002-2005 which targeted
teen girls and boys to talk about and change attitudes and behaviour around sexual violence, LGBT rights,
machismo, HIV and condom use, all of which were considered taboo. The ‘Somos Diferentes, Somos Iguales’
(SDSI) strategy combined edutainment, community mobilisation, and local capacity-building to encourage
behaviour change, social support, and collective action as a means to prevent future HIV infections in
Nicaragua.
The centrepiece was a weekly TV soap, ‘Sexto Sentido’ which has also been broadcast in Costa Rica,
Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and the United States. Importantly, a range of different project activities
were designed around the show to mutually reinforce the show’s messages including a radio phone-in
programme aimed at young people. Multiple resources were made available for local groups to use, to en-
courage face-to-face engagement. These included community-based activities such as training workshops,
and coordination with local NGOs, health and social service providers. Evaluation of the work has shown
it to have been effective in having encouraged a large proportion of the target audience to talk about the
issues raised, to be aware of support services and to report reduced gender-based discriminatory views.
For more information, see: http://www.endvawnow.org/uploads/browser/files/sexto_sentido_impact_

evaluation_english.pdf
Media content, which challenges VAWG, is not suffi- effective in changing social norms demonstrates that
cient on its own to change attitudes because it does a crucial component of social norms change resides
not necessarily entail an immediate shared reflection. in creating an environment where people feel that
It is important, therefore, to proactively aim at such they are not alone when they start reconsidering their
collective reflection to happen. Research on what is views and change their stance.

The ‘VOICES’ Project (Nepal)
From 2007 – 2010 the NGO Equal Access, with support from the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence
against Women, in partnership with General Welfare Prathistan, trained rural women in Nepal as com-
munity radio reporters as part of the ‘VOICES’ project. The project collected and broadcast voices of the
most marginalised women within the country to instigate a grassroots call to action on the twin pandem-
ics of HIV & AIDS and VAWG. Women were trained to collect stories from other rural women to create a
radio programme, “Changing our World”, which reached two million listeners and covered issues relating
to women’s human rights, peace-building, and violence against women and girls. Women’s empower-
ment activities were launched alongside the project through innovative radio and training programmes
together with outreach activities. Sixty community listener groups were established to encourage grass-
roots leadership and to promote changes in attitudes and behaviour.
An impact assessment at the close of the programme found that VOICES was successful in its main goals
to increase dialogue between family members; improve the link between service seekers and service deliv-
ery at the community level; and encourage more community action against HIV/AIDS and VAWG.
For more information on the project and the evaluation, see: http://www.endvawnow.org/uploads/
browser/files/equal_access_impact_assessment.pdf
Programmes aimed at behaviour change, should be based in behaviour change theories that target individuals
and broader social norms.
The Communication Initiative Network maintains a vast body of research, theories and tools related to be-
haviour change, see: http://www.comminit.com/global/search/apachesolr_search/?filters=tid:36%20tid:25
Community mobilization activities might include public meetings, community workshops or peer training at
the time of and immediately following broadcasts of any drama and will be done best when local NGOs with
expertise on violence against women are significantly involved.
A Comprehensive Community Involvement Approach: SASA! Raising Voices (Uganda)
The Centre for Domestic Violence Prevention is an NGO based in Uganda. It embarked on addressing
domestic violence through a community mobilization approach over a four year period across an entire
Division (Kawempe). The Centre using an approach developed by Raising Voices called SASA!, involved com-
munity members, staff from institutions such as the police and health centres, and other key stakeholders
in analyzing the situation regarding domestic violence. ‘Ordinary’ community members (85 in fairly equal
numbers of women and men) became community volunteers, counsellors, and activists. They involved their
friends, colleagues, neighbours and relatives with help and support from the organization. Opinion leaders
such as parish chiefs, traditional ‘aunties’, and village-level local government officials were engaged as
allies, who went about inspiring others and shifting their own practices. For instance, local government of-
ficials recently passed the first domestic violence prevention by law in Uganda that covers all of Kawempe
Division. Officials from institutions such as the police, religious establishments, and health care facilities

were identified and encouraged to engage in a process of reassessing their existing policy and practice, and
were guided toward instituting more pro-woman attitudes and practices. Gradually, as a result of these
activities, a new value system was taking root in Kawempe Division. Domestic violence is now seen as a
problem in the community, there are local support mechanisms that help women, people are more willing
to confront men who use violence, and institutions are more responsive to violence. Domestic violence still
happens in Kawempe Division, but there has been a shift in the level of social acceptance of that violence.
The Raising Voices approach has since been adapted and implemented in communities across the globe.
To learn more about the initiative and access the resources, see: http://raisingvoices.org/
Some of the programming recommendations and Those include:

lessons learned from community mobilization are:
• Allow sufficient time for organizations to internal-
ize the programme approach.
• Highlight the benefits of human rights and non-
violent relationships for both women and men. • Maintain fidelity to the core principles of the
• Address violence in the context of healthy relation- programme.
ships and healthy families, rather than taking an • Create a strong foundation.
individual stance.
• Engage the programme developers.
• Combine strategies via integrated programmes (e.g.
group education with community outreach and • Think beyond numbers (what is changing?).
mass media campaigns).
• Get personal (this work is about values, beliefs, at-
• Promote community ownership and sustained en- titudes and practices).
gagement by building enthusiasm for members to
• Adapt and evolve.
become activists themselves.
• Explicitly include men. • Support innovation.
• Engage directly with members of that community Resources:

and strengthen individuals’, groups’ and institutions’
capacity to be agents of change. A Framework to Underpin Action to
Prevent Violence against Women: http://
• Instill hope and excitement regarding alternatives
www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/
to violence.
publications/2015/11/prevention-framework
• Personalize the process by reflecting that each per-
son can be a part of the solution. What Works to Prevent Violence: http://www.
whatworks.co.za/resources/evidence-reviews
• Frame violence against women as the community’s
responsibility, not as individual women’s problems The Virtual Knowledge Centre to End
(Michau 2007). Violence against Women and Girls: http://
www.endvawnow.org/en/articles/343-com-
The Community for Understanding Scale-Up (CUSP)
munity-mobilization.html
is a consortium of organizations (CEDOVIP, IMAGE,
Institute for Reproductive Health, OXFAM, Puntos de On the CUSP of Change: Effective scaling of
Encuentro, Raising Voices, Salamander Trust, Sonke social norms programming for gender
Gender Justice, Tostan, We Can) employing evaluated equality - http://raisingvoices.org/wp-content/
social norms change programming in communities uploads/2013/02/CUSP.SVRIpaper.Final_.6sept
across the globe. Shared reflections have produced 2017.forWeb.pdf
important lessons for others interested in adapting,
replicating and expanding existing programmes.

ANNEX: 10 Essentials Actions
Promote Gender Equality, Diversity and 6. Build media and information literacy to empower
Respect women and girls (and men and boys) to foster eq-
1. Strive for gender equality within the organization, uitable access to information and knowledge and
including through the recruitment, retention and provide them the skills needed to navigate, engage
promotion of women; ensuring women’s voices are with and critically think about the content they are
part of decision-making bodies and structures; and exposed to. This is especially important given the
strengthening company and organizational policies volume of information and images, including harm-
on sexual harassment and abuse, work-life balance, ful content that is easily accessible through print,
telecommuting and flexible hours (with special at- audio, video and digital formats.
tention to more equitable caring responsibilities 7. F acilitate access to the voices of survivors from
among men and women staff). diverse backgrounds who are willing to speak with
2. Address the safety of women journalists’ by imple- media outlets. Ensure informed consent of the
menting industry-wide guidelines to identify and survivor and provide her with psychological and
monitor harassment and abuse, including online public speaking support to enable her to effectively
abuse; ensure victims (staff, freelancers and other communicate her experience and the messages she
personnel) have access to reporting mechanisms and wishes to convey.
support; and provide practical measure of support to
prevent abuse within the organization in addition to
Partner for Change
specific risks that may arise while on assignment.
8. D
esign an edutainment strategy focused on
3. Conduct training and educational programming challenging gender stereotypes, discrimination,
that not only familiarizes personnel with the orga- inequality and harmful masculinities to highlight
nizational structures, policies, guidelines and codes the role of social norms in the perpetration and
that have been put in place, but also with direct acceptance of violence against women and girls.
engagement opportunities that are more transfor- Approach production companies or create your
mational in nature to address institutional cultures, own media programme using widely available
so that human rights, equality and non-discrimina- formats such as community radio or social media.
tion are embedded in structures and practice. Edutainment may be the centrepiece of the inter-
vention, but it is critical that it is complemented
through direct community engagement.
Monitor and Improve Content
4. Conduct media monitoring across mediums (print, 9. Partner with other stakeholders (e.g. women’s
screen, radio and ICTs) to determine whether girls, rights groups, GBV experts, municipal government)
women, boys and men are stereotypically portrayed; to engage in deeper prevention of violence work,
whether discriminatory attitudes and views are be- especially those which have roots in the local com-
ing reinforced and how violence against women is munity to reach men and women, girls and boys
treated. Use the analysis of the monitoring results through face-to-face dialogue and programming to
to engage with media for positive change. challenge harmful social norms.
5. Elaborate guidelines for editorial content and for 10. Create or join an existing network dedicated to
the engagement of and interviewing of victims to gender, violence against women and girls and
ensure ethical, survivor-centred and human-rights media to share information and lessons learned,
based principles are followed as a matter of stan- partner on projects and advocate for change where
dard practice and across all initiatives. it is needed.

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pdf?la=en&vs=5223

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THE BIG

© UNESCO and UN Women, 2019

Design: Dammsavage Inc.

Åsa Regnér Moez Chakchouk

Handbook to address violence

5.1 Mapping and Assessment 34

1 INTRODUCTION 3 5.2 Gender Parity 36

1.2 What are the Ways to Engage Media? 4 5.4 Training 46

5.5 Safety of Journalists 47

2 INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL

6.3 Exploring Opportunities through Media Content 63

3.4 Adopting an Intersectional Approach 10 6.5 Community Mobilization 83

3.5 Ensuring Representation 10

3.7 Aiming for Internet Universality 11

4.1 Regulatory Frameworks 12

4.2 Research and Monitoring 16

4.3 Media and Information Literacy 20

4.5 Awards and Recognition 32

Handbook to address violence

Handbook to address violence

1.1 Why is it important to work with media?

Handbook to address violence

Internal policies & practice

External enabling environment

Handbook to address violence

Handbook to address violence

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Handbook to address violence

Policy Instruments Other Global Platforms

Handbook to address violence

For detailed information, see: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-%2F%2FEP%2F%2

Handbook to address violence

Handbook to address violence

Handbook to address violence

Handbook to address violence

Handbook to address violence

Examples of National Mechanisms to address Gender Discrimination and Violence in Media

Handbook to address violence

Handbook to address violence

Belgium Norway Australia Finland Belgium Cyprus

Handbook to address violence

Online Harassment: A comparative Policy Analysis for Hollaback: https://www.ihollaback.org/app/up-

Countering Online Hate Speech (UNESCO): https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000233231

Handbook to address violence

The project has undertaken the following activities:

For more information, see: http://whomakesthenews.org/

To access the tools, see: http://whomakesthenews.org/media-monitoring/methodology-guides-and-

Handbook to address violence

For more information, see: http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2016/3/breaking-the-cycle-of-

Just the Women (United Kingdom)

For more information, see: http://www.endviolenceagainstwomen.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Just-the-

Handbook to address violence

• Fostering Gender Equality within Media Organizations

o Gender equality in work and work conditions

o Gender balance in education and training

• Gender Portrayal in Media Content

o Gender portrayal in advertising

Specific indicators on violence against women include:

2 INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL

Online Harassment: A comparative Policy Analysis for Hollaback: https://www.ihollaback.org/app/up-

UNESCO Media and Information Media Education Foundation Resources

Gender Equality in Media: https://en.unesco.org/ Sexual Harassment and Domestic