Webinar participants call for improved reporting on rape cases

Journalists, media personalities and human rights activists lamented the mismatch between the media’s reporting on rape cases and the actual incidents as they held a discussion during a webinar organised in connection with International Human Rights Day.

Titled ‘Will the media start reporting rape?’, the programme was organised by Uks — a research, resource and publication centre on women and media — and the WACC (World Association for Christian Communication) Global.

Moderating the webinar, Uks Executive Director Tasneem Ahmar drew a quick comparison between the rape reporting statistics by sharing Uks’s work on the reporting of rape incidents with the audience. She said that the language used regarding these cases was worth a second glance.

Dawn Editor Zaffar Abbas admitted that even though improvement has been observed regarding the reporting of rape cases, there is still room for further improvement.

He also admitted that it is hard to report all the rape cases with the current rate of incidents. He suggested developing a mechanism solely for monitoring purposes so that data can be collected and statistics can be published.

Dawn News programme host Zarrar Khuhro questioned the content of the reported rape incidents, saying that it is more important to note what is actually being said rather than whether or not it is being reported because it is probably being reported just for the sake of it.

Geo News programme host Huma Amir Shah touched upon the dilemma of insensitive as well as unethical projection of rape cases on social media platforms.

Referring to the Kashmore child rape case, she shed light on another aspect that the media uses words with the wrong connotation, such as “Ziyadti”, saying that the equivalent word for rape does not exist in Urdu.

Aaj News programme host Asma Shirazi acknowledged that certain cases get more attention while others do not, and similarly, other beats always get special attention, even though rape is an equally important discussion, but yet there are only certain slots that cover rape.

Even so, she pointed out, something worth mentioning is the progress that the media has made regarding the right to privacy of a victim of rape.

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan Chairperson Zohra Yusuf said that a minor’s rape is assertion of power. She pointed out that rape of women and girls are highlighted more than that of boys at madrasas. She said the cases come into spotlight and then very less follow-ups appear.

Screenwriter Bee Gul lamented that people rather entertain themselves with rape cases. She said that portrayal of rape is very hard, keeping in mind that it can trigger people. She also said that it is important to change the mindset of the people who attempt to suppress rape cases. However, she added, ensuring safe portrayal is important.

BBC Urdu journalist Riaz Sohail discussed a few ethical codes to keep in mind with respect to protecting the survivors’ identities when journalists report on rape cases.

Fauzia Shahid, who is a senior and well-versed reporter, expressed her dismay and frustration over the mentality of the Urdu newspapers of the country because they still appear to be very conservative.

Journalist Zafar Baloch said that reporting does take place in Balochistan, and that the media does try its best to get to the victims of harassment and rape, but the victims are reluctant to open up about these cases in this region.

Aaj News Peshawar Bureau Chief Farzana Ali said survivors always find it hard to open up about their ordeals because there are certain aspects that affect their confidence, including their own family. Uks Executive Director Tasneem Ahmar concluded the online discussion by saying that the word “rape” should be normalised in the English as well as the Urdu media.