One of the Kisumu’s biggest social media groups on Facebook has been on fire for the last couple of days….Women have fought and fought…but for a good cause! I think.
Of course a majority of our problems as women are commonly caused by men but in a twist at the end an exodus to the dads seemed to have offered the much needed solace.
A problem arouse a few days ago when one mum posted a picture of her alleged sister who had been allegedly brutally battered by her husband and was seeking help. The picture showed the woman in bandages, cuts and a very swollen face.
The comments started to flow….The pity party, the ‘elites’, the law enforcers, the family members, the activists, the curious, health care workers and then boom! the admins of the group commented with a caution that they had been advised that graphic pictures e.g. of victims of Gender Based Violence (GBV) or any kind of violence will not be allowed in the group without direct consent from the victim him/herself.
Almost immediately, family members, obviously very zealous activists and many other members felt that the decision of not posting the victims picture was unfair and would hinder the victim from getting assistance from the group members.
“Those pictures tend to move people,” said one group member.
Harsh words, accusations and counter accusations have rocked the group for the last 3 days over the issue.
I feel like this conflict brings about an important social issue and the role of social media in bridging the gap between our public and private lives.
GBV is a very sensitive topic,especially in Africa and in Kenya. Questions need to be asked about “How graphic is graphic?”
How do we use Social Media responsibly to advocate for issues surrounding GBV and violence in general?
How do women fight back against years of violence?
Is safety, confidentiality, dignity of survivors and their families less or important than raising awarenessor or generating donations for legal processes etc, especially in a world where any ordinary person looking for a way to make a difference will just click away for recognition and fame?
I strongly feel that the use of images, footage and photographs to illustrate GBV issues is a complicated affair.
Except in cases where survivors have given their informed consent, photos should not include any identifiable information.
“At least we should be sensitive enough to hide the face, name and family members,” says one of the mums in the group.
“A few years later when issues have cooled and the couple have reconciled your child might be in the playground and is teased that “nitakuchapa vile mama yako alichapwa!” Another added.
Of course unless the individuals represented in the pictures have given their written, informed consent for use of their image in association with a story on GBV then we shouldn’t encourage this in Kenya.
The role of counselling, medical support, and teaching coping strategies and healthy life choices to eliminate GBV should take centre stage.
Sadly women who are most risk of being victims of GBV are unfortunately also the ones with the least amount of ICT access and expertise. The victim in this case did not even have a facebook account!
This is a conversation we should have.
Ni hayo to….
Discuss: 20marks.
ChristineRiaroh 