- A study of over 1200 stories on gender-based violence show that only 3 percent of the narratives published focused on perpetrators of this heinous crime.
- About 11 percent of stories amplified the voices of the survivors, despite the survivors being central to the narrative of sexual and gender-based violence.
- Study calls on players in the media industry to institutionalise gender desks, embed gender-sensitive journalism in editorial practice, and strengthen collaborations with academia, policymakers, and civil society.
A new study has exposed bias across media in East Africa in the coverage of sexual and gender-based violence with platforms fingered for over focus on event driven narratives, victim sympathy, and official sources, thereby avoiding to place responsibility on the perpetrators of these heinous acts.
The survey by the Aga Khan University’s Graduate School of Media and Communications (GSMC) covering Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania says this failure by media organisations continues to render the pursuit of justice untenable.
Based on statistics from over 1,200 news stories published in the three countries between January 2024 and April 2025, the study headlined “Media Framing of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and Femicide in East Africa, shows that just 3 percent of the narratives published focused on perpetrators, despite thematic framing which situates violence within broader social structures dominating 78 percent of the coverage reviewed.
“This study underscores the critical role of the media in shaping how societies understand and respond to gender-based violence,” said Professor Nancy Booker, Dean at GSMC. “It challenges journalists and editors to move beyond the headlines to tell stories that humanise survivors, question impunity, and hold systems accountable. Journalism has the power not just to inform, but to drive justice and change.”
Study on media coverage of gender-based violence exposes failure to connect incidents to accountability
While the study noted positive progress, including a dominant trend towards situating violence within broader social and cultural contexts, the findings highlight a failure to connect incidents to accountability.
A stark 3 percent focus on perpetrators means the individuals responsible for violence often remain out of sight in media narratives, especially in follow-up reporting.
According to the survey just about 11 percent of stories amplified the voices of the survivors, despite the survivors being central to the narrative of sexual and gender-based violence.
Of the three East African countries studied, Kenya accounted for more than half of the regional coverage (54 per cent), followed by Tanzania (28 per cent) and Uganda (18 per cent), suggesting a positive impact from the institutionalization of gender desks and targeted newsroom training.
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Media houses challenges to set up gender desks, embed gender-sensitive journalism
According to the lead researcher Dr Hesbon Hansen Owilla this level of invisibility is a major barrier to progress in the fight against sexual and gender-based violence. “There’s growing awareness in East African media that gender-based violence and femicide are societal issues rather than isolated incidents,” he noted. “But coverage remains largely event-driven, and perpetrators are still invisible, especially in follow-up reporting. That invisibility fosters impunity and weakens deterrence.”
The report, part of GSMC’s Advancing Gender Equality in Media and Civil Society in East Africa (AGEMC-EA) project, urges media houses to institutionalise gender desks, embed gender-sensitive journalism in editorial practice, and strengthen collaborations with academia, policymakers, and civil society.
“The media is not just a mirror of society, it is an agent of change,” added Professor Booker. “This report is a wake-up call to reimagine how we tell stories about gender-based violence, and whose voices we choose to centre.”
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