Media urged to be responsible

 THE media must act responsibly when reporting on issues relating to gender-based violence and family and sexual violence, Ume Wainetti says.

Wainetti, the national programme director for the Consultative Implementation Monitoring Council’s family and sexual violence action committee (FSVAC), said: “There have been increased discussion and debate around the correlation between media portrayals and family and sexual violence and while the development in media technology has led to many advances, there is no doubt there are negative aspects to the development.”

“All forms of media, including social media, have played a part in the perpetuation of negative stereotypes and this has been known to have direct impact on issues such as family and sexual violence.”