Journalists in the country have been called upon to wear a human face when reporting issues related to Gender Based Violence (GBV).
Gender and GBV Specialist at UNFPA, Beatrice Kumwenda, made the call at Sunbird Mzuzu Hotel during a three-day training of journalists under Nyika Media Club and Association for Women in Media (AWOME) on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA).
Kumwenda lamented that there have been times when the media has made a wrong portrayal of issues regarding Gender Based Violence resulting in double victimisation of GBV survivors.
"We believe that the media is a key stakeholder and we expect journalists to be ethical in their reporting and to make sure that GBV survivors are protected in terms of their rights.
"We believe that with this training, the media will be our source of hope in terms of using correct terminologies, making sure that the survivor receives services and doing away with prejudices and stereotypes that may increase the vulnerability of the one whose rights have been violated," remarked Kumwenda.
Vice General Secretary for AWOME, Towera Katswiri, told Nyasa Times the training was important as it will help journalists to be more ethical in the way they report issues to do with Gender Based Violence.
"Sometimes we have romanticised violence and been stereotypical in the way we write our stories and so this training has been an eye opener. We expect that journalists will begin to write stories not only to win awards but those stories that can change somebody's life and help in combating GBV," explained Katswiri.
Executive Director for Centre for Investigative Journalism Malawi (CIJM), Collins Mtika, who is also a member of Nyika Media Club, said Malawian journalists have a big role to play in a quest to curb Gender Based Violence.
Said Mtika:"Journalists can inflict more harm on GBV survivors if they are not careful in the way they report these issues. That is why there is need for us to carefully check the language we use but also ensure that our reports bring solutions and hope to the survivors."
Among other things, the journalists were reminded that the role of media in combating GBV includes raising awareness, advocacy for survivors and promotion of support services as well as challenging harmful cultural practices and norms.
The training was organised by UNFPA in collaboration with UN Women Malawi.
