Networks

Media portrayals of women have been a concern for women’s rights advocates as far back as the 1970s. Today, women’s groups remain at the forefront of national advocacy, continuing to raise visibility on gender stereotypes and degrading portrayals of women and girls, unequal terms of employment, the safety of women journalists and human rights defenders and abuse faced by women and girls online. National efforts to promote gender equality in and through the media sector include: monitoring gender equality in media content and company performance, advocacy, training, policy development, media production and awards ceremonies. The expansion of communications tools and interconnectedness has enabled networks to transcend borders, with movements that span entire regions and the formation of vibrant global alliances. In Latin America alone, for example, there are now countless monitoring networks, linked together since 2007 in the Red Latinoamericana de Observatorios de Medios (Red Latinoamericana de Observatorios de Medios Comunicacion 2007).

Social activism and advocacy have been central to promoting gender equality in and through media. Women’s rights groups have been raising awareness of the industry’s discriminatory portrayal and treatment of women for decades, pushing for changes within international, regional and national normative/legislative frameworks and advocating for changes within media organizations themselves.  These groups have used research and monitoring at global, regional and national levels to regularly assess the performance of media organizations (public and private) against agreed commitments and obligations to promote accountability in this area.  The evolving knowledge-base is also used to showcase good practices and to advocate for further development of normative frameworks and their implementation.

Networks of professional media workers invested in gender equality are a valuable mechanism for prevention of violence against women. There are often networks of media workers, for example, within journalists’ trade unions with women’s or other relevant subcommittees, which can offer a space for media outlets and groups working to prevent VAWG to share expertise and form partnerships.

Mapping stakeholders, relevant groups and their networks can identify other actors who would like to engage with the media VAWG prevention work. This provides opportunities for partnerships in approaching media partners and can generate additional interest for media outlets to engage with a wider network.

Apart from organisations and civil society groups working directly on VAWG, other groups to consider for partnerships include:

• Civil society groups and NGOs, including those who represent specific groups (e.g. indigenous women and girls, women living with disabilities, women living with HIV, adolescents, migrants, ethnic/racial minorities, etc.). and organisers of campaigns on human rights and equality
• Human Rights Commissions and human rights NGOs who may already be organized and are campaigning on human rights and equality
• Frontline services, such as health, police, justice or shelter providers
• Local independent activists or campaigners
• Women’s community groups
• Women journalist networks
• Independent media producers
• Media trade unions and/or broadcast/print media associations
• Media self-regulatory bodies
• Universities and training institutions focused on gender or media issues
• Other media professionals

Groups may be drawn together through an invitation to join a network with long-term ongoing work or may bring specific partners together to undertake a targeted project (e.g. a campaign).  The strength of such networks resides in its partnership approach from the outset, which makes collaboration more likely. The media is engaged as a member in this partnership, rather than as a target, alongside groups working to end VAWG.

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