How to write about rape

10 tips from a Canadian guide to reporting on sexual violence

Meghna Anand
Aug 31, 2018 · 5 min read
Photo courtesy: Femifesto

As NewsTracker continues to map the news coverage and journalistic challenges of reporting on rape and sexual violence across India, we looked at similar projects across the world and came upon Femifesto, a Toronto-based organisation that created a free guide for Canadian journalists reporting on sexual violence.

Femifesto founders Shannon Giannitsopoulou and Sasha Elford wrote Use the Right Words: Media Reporting on Sexual Violence in Canada in 2015, informed by “survivors, journalists, anti gender-based violence advocates, lawyers and community members from across Canada”. We believe some of their dos and don’ts could be helpful for journalists in India as well.

Here are 10 broad guidelines that we parsed from Femifesto’s checklist.

1. Survivor, victim, or…?

There is some debate over whether the term ‘victim’ or ‘survivor’ should be used for a person who has experienced sexual assault. Some journalists have told NewsTracker that they use ‘survivor’ for anyone who has lived through sexual assault, and ‘victim’ for those who have lost their lives. In the event that the survivor is being interviewed, Femifesto recommends letting them choose how they want to be referred to:

2. Consider words other than ‘alleged’ and ‘claimed’

Yes, it is important to use words such as ‘alleges’ or ‘claims’ in cases where there is ambiguity, but there are other ways to frame the words of the survivor too. Some alternatives:

3. Don’t normalise the violence

Euphemisms or language that describes assault as sex downplays the gravity of sexual violence. Femifesto’s no-nos include:

4. Pay attention to grammar

According to Femifesto, it matters how you use your subjects and verbs while reporting on sexual assault.

5. Be careful with imagery

It may be time to rethink the standard stock images of women with bruises or graphic illustrations of looming shadows over cowering children. According to Femifesto, here’s what is appropriate and what isn’t:

6. Keep the story balanced

Importance should be given to the survivor’s side of the story. Femifesto says the story should not rest on police, legal, and perpetrators’ voices. And, “Where there is no access to the survivor’s side of the story, journalists can speak to experts on violence against women, and rely on police and court documents.”

7. Be judicious with details about the assault

Every detail you include about the assault needs to serve “to honour the survivor’s story or to contextualise sexual assault in broader culture,” says Femifesto’s guide. If a graphic detail does neither of these, remove it from your story.

8. Don’t let victim-blaming and –shaming sneak into your write-up

The kinds of details your provide about the survivor and perpetrator can subtly imply that the victim was somehow to blame or suggest that the perpetrator is innocent. Femifesto advises:

9. Add context, but without bias

All cases of sexual assault are instances of a larger problem of gender-based violence, with some communities facing a greater challenge than others. However, such information has to be relayed in a way that does not ‘taint’ a particular community in any way. Femifesto suggests:

10. Emphasise the impact of sexual assault

Avoid suggesting that some forms of assault are less serious, with language such as “The survivor was unharmed” or “The survivor was not physically hurt”, says the Toronto-based organisation.

NewsTracker

A conversation on the news coverage of rape and sexual violence in India. A MAAR initiative

Meghna Anand

Written by

Medical student; Spreading smiles and trying to make a change; Reporter, https://medium.com/docfort-pulse & https://medium.com/maarnewstracker

NewsTracker

A conversation on the news coverage of rape and sexual violence in India. A MAAR initiative

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