Towards the end of November, South Africa’s Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA) hosted a virtual masterclass on effective media reporting on gender-based violence (GBV), in the lead up to this year’s international 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign.

The event was hosted in partnership with Global Citizen, the Government Communication and Information System, Wits Radio Academy, the German Development Cooperation (GIZ), and UN Women, and was open to all local community journalists, producers, and media creators to attend.

The masterclass was an open learning space where community media had the opportunity to hear from specialists on the impact that gender-based violence has on the country’s economy, health care systems, and society as a whole; and how accurate reporting of GBV can make a difference.

Global Citizen’s Regional Director for Southern and East Africa, Chebet Chikumbu, then spoke about the Global Citizen South Africa division’s strong focus on gender equality this year. She also put the impact of GBV into a global perspective, highlighting that action needs to be taken in order for the phenomenon to be better recognised as a serious violation of human rights.

Finally, GIZ and UN Women’s Technical Advisor, Luxolo Matomela, led the reporting segment of the masterclass, where she discussed the importance of accurately approaching GBV in the media, and the difference it can make in how the public understands and deals with GBV.

Here are some of the key learnings from the masterclass.

  1. Be accurate and use the right language
  2. Give the survivor a voice and don’t victim blame
  3. Talk to the experts
  4. Educate the public
  5. Include information on where survivors can get assistance

If you or someone you know has experienced gender-based or sexual violence, you can find resources for support here or you can call the SA National GBV helpline on 0800 150 150.

Read the full article about reporting on gender-based violence by Khanyi Mlaba at Global Citizen.