African Journal of Education, Science and Technology, April, 2016 Vol 3, No. 2180

Does It Really Work? Analysis of How Journalists Employ Advocacy in Fighting Domestic Violencein Nigeria.

Nwammuo, Angela NkiruDepartment of Mass Communication

Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu UniversityIgbariam Campus, Anambra State

Email:anglenwammuo@yahoo.com

Nworah, Uche R.Nigeria Association of Women Journalists

Anambra State Chapter.

Nwafor, GideonDepartment of Mass Communication

COOU, Igbariam Campus.gideonuchenwafor@gmail.com

ABSTRACTThis paper examines how female journalists especially registered members of Nigeria Association of WomenJournalists (NAWOJ) Anambra State Chapter, use advocacy Journalism in fighting war against domesticviolence on women. Focus Group Discussion (FGD) was used in eliciting responses from the respondents.The analysis of the generated data was qualitatively done using Experimentation Building Technique. Thefindings of the study show that female journalists in Anambra State—Nigeria actually engage in advocacyagainst domestic violence on women. They mostly use persuasive campaigns and talks in doing this. The mostcommon forms of domestic violence which they campaign against are wife battering and sexual abuse/rape.The findings also revealed that female journalist encounter threats to life and negative attitudes from maleeditors as challenges towards the use of advocacy in fighting domestic violence. Based on the findings, thestudy recommends among others, that appropriate legislation/laws be made so that journalists will beprotected from threats and other challenges that mitigate against the use of advocacy in fighting domesticviolence.Keywords: Advocacy, Advocacy Journalism, NAWOJ, Domestic Violence, Journalist

INTRODUCTION

International convention on women issues recognizes eradication of violence against women as a basichuman right as has been noted by Nwanmmuo and Ochonogor (2012). This is in view of the fact that violenceagainst women violates the law of fundamental human rights, and strongly militants against women’s growthand development. But of all the actions of violence against women, domestic violence seems to be the mostpervasive and the least recognized human abuse worldwide (Abama and Kwaje, 2009; Amnesty)international, 2007; Afrol News,2007).

Domestic violence can be described as any violent behaviour be it physical, mental or sexual pain inflictedon a person by either a spouse or a close relative. Nworah (2011 p.4) refers to domestic violence thus:

…a pattern of abusive behavioiur in any relationship that is used by one partnerto gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner…. or threatsof actions that influence another person. These include behaviours that intimidate,terrorize, coerce, threaten, blame, hurt, injure or wound someone.

The foregoing presupposes that when the above violent actions are inflicted upon a female by a spouse orclose relative, domestic violence against women is said to have occurred. Domestic violence against womentherefore takes the following forms: spousal rape, spousal abuse, battering, slapping, name calling, disrespect,private and public criticisms etc, (Aihie, 2009). It is “an age long and deep seated cultural practice whichinstead of prosecuting the perpetrator inflicts a condemnable stigma on the victim” (Afrol News, 2007 p: 6).

African Journal of Education, Science and Technology, April, 2016 Vol 3, No. 2181

Domestic violence subjugates women to the background. This is why concerned international and regionalorganizations of the United Nations, Non-Governmental organizations in Nigeria, call all stakeholdersincluding journalists, to join in the war against domestic violence in Nigeria. It is based on this backdrop thatthe advocacy role of journalists has been identified as a strong weapon for achieving success in the fightagainst domestic violence on women (Nworah, 2011).

Advocacy here basically means an effort to influence and implement a development map. As a journalisticterm, advocacy journalism refers to the use of facts and information to persuade media audience to adopt aparticular cause for taking appropriate actions on the issues raised, (Senam, in Ntiense and Okorie, 2012).The media play significant roles in awareness creation and education of the masses at both national andgrassroots levels. Journalists in upholding a social or political cause can therefore employ journalismtechniques. This is what advocacy journalism entails. It advocates a course or expresses a viewpoint. It tendsto persuade through fact telling and rejects the notion of objectivity, instead it exposes bias to the audienceand expresses explicit opinions on the subject matter (Asemah, Edegoh and Ezebuenyi; 2013). The generalgoal is to present facts in such a compelling, well-researched manner so that media audiences will be swayedto some degrees or at least be better informed about the issue at hand. This is the crux of this study. It isaimed at x-raying how journalists in Anambra state employ advocacy in the fight against domestic violenceon women. Specific objectives that necessitated the study include:To ascertain the forms of advocacy used by female journalists in the fight against domestic violence onwomen;To find out the forms of domestic violence covered by the female journalists;To find out whether there are challenges journalists encounter while employing advocacy in the fight againstdomestic violence on women.

Review of Literature: Curbing Domestic Violence through Advocacy

Combative measures have been initiated by media houses and some organizations in the fight againstdomestic violence in Nigeria. Okeibunor (2010); Nworah (2011), Abama and Kwaja (2009) and Nwammuo(2013) record some of the organization as: World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Declarationof Elimination of Violence Against Women, Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Convention onElimination of all forms of Discrimination on Women (CEDAW) etc. Some Non-Governmentalorganizations have also joined in the war against domestic violence on women. Some of them are: SocialInstitute and Gender Index (SIGI); Virtual Knowledge Centre, Project Alert, Awesome Treasures Foundation(ATF); Legislative Advocacy Coalition on Violence Against Women (LACVAW) etc.

In addition, to the concerted efforts of the concerned organizations in the fight against domestic violence onwomen, some scholars believe that the battle against this societal menace needs media attention, (Chrunik,2011, Asemah, Edegoh and Ezebuenyi, 2013). Media forms, both print and electronic do not engage in warsor battles with machine guns but with words neatly woven to achieve certain aims and objectives. The mediacan successfully play a paramount role in sensitizing the masses against inflicting violent actions on women.

Okafor (2011) carried out a study to ascertain the role of journalists in curbing harmful cultural practicesagainst women in Anambra state using survey research design. This study found that journalists have thecapacity to inform, educate, sensitize and mobilize the society towards taking appropriate actions againstperpetrators of harmful cultural practices against women in the society. Similarly, Ekeli and Tsebee (2012)sought whether advocacy journalism could be used successfully in the fight against violence on women.Using survey as the research design and agenda setting as the theoretical framework, the study found thatadvocacy journalism can successfully curb and eliminate violence against women over a period of time.

These reviewed works are related to this study in that all of them are gender studies that deal with violenceagainst women and the role of journalists in fighting the menace. This present study is significant anddifferent from the reviewed studies because it seeks to ascertain how female journalists in Anambra stateemploy advocacy in the fight against domestic violence on women. Previous studies adopted survey researchdesign while this present study adopted qualitative research approach. Focus Group Discussion (FGD) was

African Journal of Education, Science and Technology, April, 2016 Vol 3, No. 2182

used in collecting data for the study while previous studies adopted the use of questionnaire in data collection.This research endeavour is therefore worthwhile.

Theoretical Framework

A theory is a set of related propositions that present a systematic view of a phenomenon by specifyingrelationships among concepts (Wimmer and Dominick, 2003). For this reason, framing theory is adopted asthe theory upon which this study is situated.

The basis of framing theory is that the media focuses attention on certain events and then places them withina field of meaning. According to Deetz, Tracy and Simpson (2000), framing consists of three elements:Language, thought, and forethought. Language helps us to remember information and acts to transform theway in which we view situations. To use language, people must have thoughts reflected on their owninterpretive frameworks and those of others. Being able to do so, had to do with having the forethoughts topredict framing oppostunities. Kahnman and Tversky (1981) explains that framing theory focuses on adeliberate packaging of media contents by media practitioners to change or influence the understanding ofan issue or a message. Framing involves giving an angle to an event with a view that the audience wouldperceive the story from the perspective of the media reporting same. This view is supported by Entman (2002,p 291) who sees framing as the “selection of some aspects of a perceived reality and making them moresalient in a communication text in such a way as to promote a particular problem definition, casualinterpretation, moral evaluation or treatment recommendation for the item described”. To Entman, framingcan simply be summarized as “selection and salience”. Media framing therefore refers to the act of givingprominence to an issue or personality by selecting and giving more prominence and emphasis on such issueor personality. This is the views of Iyengar & Kinder (1987. 114) when they argued that by “lavishing newscoverage on an issue while ignoring others, the media draw attention to certain aspects of life at the expenseof the others”.

METHODOLOGY

This study adopted qualitative approach in which focus group discussion (FGD) was used in collecting datafrom the respondents. Members of Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) Anambra statechapter served as respondents for the study. Women journalists were purposively selected because theresearchers thought it wise to study them in order to ascertain how they advocate for issues concerningwomen.

Registered members of NAWOJ, in Anambra state served as the population. From the secretariat, a list of 82women was provided as the total population, but only 48 were regular in their meeting. These 48 womenserved as the respondents. So the study was a census of all the registered and up-to-date members who attendNAWOS meetings. Focus Group Discussion was held with these members five consecutive times of onehour per session. Questions that guided the discussion include:Do female journalists use advocacy in fighting domestic violence? If yes, what forms of advocacy do theyuse?What is the nature of domestic violence that female journalists use advocacy to fight?What are the challenges female journalists faces while advocating for women? Explanation buildingtechnique was used in the presentation and analysis of the data.

DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

The result of the study indicated that an overwhelming majority of the respondents engage in advocacyagainst domestic violence on women. All the women agreed to have done one form of advocacy or the otheron the domestic violence and have studies its impact on the growth and development of women in Nigeria.One Mrs. Ebere from “National light newspapers” has this to say:

Advocacy here is all about speaking up and fighting against domestic violence onwomen. Most of us do this through our write-ups and we even go to some menorganizations in churches and communities especially during InternationalWomen’s Day celebrations. We tell our men that wife battering and other violentactions against women are wrong and can send a man to jail.

African Journal of Education, Science and Technology, April, 2016 Vol 3, No. 2183

This is in line with Nwammuo and Ochonogor (2012), when they emphasized that advocacy journalism is adominant feature of the journalism practice in Nigeria. Nigerian journalists engage in many forms ofadvocacy especially in health, politics and education. On the forms of advocacy used by Nigerian femalejournalists in the fight against domestic violence on women, the following findings emerged:

Persuasive campaigns to force government to make laws to prosecute perpetratorsof domestic violent and protect victims.

The above statement was made by the Chairperson of NAWOJ, Anambra state chapter. Another member ofthe organization pointed out thus;

We carryout campaigns to lobby government to provide services to womenexperiencing domestic violence like shelter, telephone hotline, psychological andlegal advice and support network.

Another form of advocacy engaged by female journalists, as revealed by another discussant is “reaching outto young girls in various secondary schools and educating them on their rights and how to shun any form ofviolent treatment from boys or men”. NAWOJ as an association of female journalists in Anambra state also“organizes a team of its members who normally goes to schools on career days and educates young girls onissues concerning women, and sexual harassment and other vices against women”. This was made known bythe secretary of the association.

The above measures taken by the discussants in fighting domestic violence on women is in line withInternational Council of Aids Services Organization (ICASO), declaration that local, regional, national andinternational organizations have a lot to do with regards to the use of advocacy in stimulating effective actionson health and other related issues (UNAIDS & WHO, 1999). And as it is clearly stipulated by Senam, Ntienseand Okorie (2012), advocacy journalism can be used to persuade an audience to adopt a particular action thatcan lead to a change of attitude, opinion, lifestyle etc.

The findings of this study revealed the nature or types of domestic violence which female journalists mostlyuse advocacy to fight. The ones mentioned and agreed by the discussants as the most popular forms ofdomestic violence on women include the following:

wife battering/beatingRape/sexual abuseEmotional abuseEconomic/financial abuseHarmful widowhood rites.

Most discussants especially those working with the print media singled out wife battering as the mostcommon form of domestic violence encountered by journalists. Dorathy, a journalist with one of the nationaldailies, expressed her views in these words:

Most men be their husbands or boyfriends to not consider beating a woman as acrime. Most rural women are now punching bags for their husbands andboyfriends. They do not ever see it as anything. It is indeed worrisome. The issueof rape or sexual abuse is a “no-go” area. To most men, whether educated oruneducated, they own our bodies. To say no is to invoke their wrath and the resultis force.

On the challenges faced by female journalists while employing advocacy in the fight against domesticviolence on women, the study revealed the following challenges:Unwillingness on the part of the victims to open up even when the victims are spotted by the press.Male editors’ attitude towards the reportage of such issues. They tend to “kill” such reports.Threat to life for daring to cover or publish such cases by the perpetrators.On this note, one of the discussants narrated her experience after publishing a rape incident thus:

I nearly lost my life after covering and publishing a rape incident. The rapistthreatened to kill me or kill either my husband or children. My husband warned

African Journal of Education, Science and Technology, April, 2016 Vol 3, No. 2184

me after such threats to desist from such publications for according to him, it isnone of my business.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This study examined how female journalists use advocacy in fighting domestic violence on women. A censusstudy involving all the registered members of NAWOJ, Anambra state chapter, using Focus GroupDiscussion (FGD) yielded interesting findings. Female journalists engage in advocacy journalism againstdomestic violence on women. Campaigns and talks were mostly used in the fight against domestic violenceon women while wife battering and sexual abuse were the common forms of domestic violence on women.Fear of being harmed and “killing of stories” by editors are the most common challenges faced by femalejournalists while advocating against domestic violence.

This study therefore concludes that female journalists fight domestic violence by focusing attention on it.This is the major tenet of the framing theory which served as the theoretical framework of this study. Byfocusing on domestic violence using deliberate language, thoughts and forethought, journalists influenceopinions and change attitudes towards domestic violence on women, (Entman, 2009; Iyengar and Kinder,1987).

RECOMMENDATIONS

Based on these findings, the study recommends the following;That more persuasive language and face to- face communication be combined with media messages

in order to encourage victims of domestic violence to voice-out their pains;That male editors be discouraged to desist from killing of stories relating to domestic violence.

NAWOJ, RATTAWU, NUJ and other media organization write in doing this.That female journalists should be protected by legislations and other laws from threats that may

emanate from covering domestic violence on women.

REFERENCESAbama, E. and Kwaja, M. (2009). “Violence against Women in Nigeria: How Millennium Development Goals Addresses the

Challenge”. Journal of Pan African Studies. 1 (3) p.23-34.Afrik News (2007). “Half of Nigeria’s Women Experiences Domestic Violence”. Retrieved on Jan. 2015 www.afrolnews.com.Aihie, O. (2009). “Pretence of Domestic Violence in Nigeria: Implications for counseling”. Retrieved on 24 th Jan. 2015 from

www.aoi.info/index.Amnesty International (2007). “Look of lives blown apart: Crimes against women in times of conflict”. Retrieved on 25th Jan 2015 from

www.amnestyinternational.com.Asemah, E; Edegoh, L. and Ezebuenyi, E (2013). “Advocacy Journalism and the rights of Nigerian children to free and compulsory

Education; A prescriptive Approach”. Journal of Arts and Humanities. 2 (6) p.175-182.Chrunik, E. (2001). Does caring require Advocacy in journalism? Retrieved online on 26th Jan 2015. From

www.reporterfacinghistory.org.Deetz, S; Tracy, S and Simpson, J (2000). Leading Organizations Through Transition. London: Thousand Oaks and Sage.Ekeli, E and Tsebee, k. (2012). “Curbing Violence against women to Nigeria through Advocacy journalism”. Journal of Linguistic and

Communication Studies. (2 (1) p.207-218.Entman, R (2002). “Framing: Towards Clarification of a Fractured Paradigm”. In McQuail, D. (ed). Readings in Mass Communication

Theory. London: Sage.Iyengar, S. and Kinder, R. (1987). News that Matters: Television and American Opinion. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Kahneman, D and Tresky, A (1979). “Prospect Thoery Analysis for Decision under Risk”. Econometrical vol. 47 p.263-291.Kamath, M. (2008) Professional journalism. New Delhi: Vikas Publishing House.Nwammuo, A. (2013). “Social Media and Perpetuation of Violence against Women: The case of Facing Death on Facebook”.

International Journal of Language, Literature and Gender Studies. 2(6) p. 1-10.Nwammuo, A and Ochonogor, C (2012). Advocacy Journalism and Nigerian Journalists: A case of pinching shoes. Journal of

Linguistics and communication Studies. 2 (1) p.281-292.Nworah, U (2011). “Violence against women in Nigerian community: Issues of power Control”. Retrieved on 15th Jan 2015 from

www.safeworldforwomen.org.Ikeibunor, N. (2010). “Broadcast Media and Empowerment of Women: Issues and Challenges”. International Journal of

Communication Studies. vol.12. p.50-61.Senam, N; Ntiense, I and Okorie, N (2012). “ICTs and Advocacy Journalism in the Fight against Terrorism in Nigeria”. Journal of

Linguistics and Communication Studies. 2 (1) p.99-44.UNAIDS/WHO (1999). Aids Epidemic Update. Geneva: UNAIDS and WHO.Wimmer, R. and Dominick, R. (2005). Mass media Research: An Introduction. California: Wadsworth Publishers.