Document Type
Policy Brief
Department
Graduate School of Media and Communications
Abstract
This policy brief presents the findings of a regional study on media coverage of femicide and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. The study analysed coverage of femicide and SGBV between January 2024 and April 2025, from major digital platforms, supported by interviews with editors. It sought to understand how media frames femicide and SGBV, which actors are most visible, and what implications these patterns have for accountability, justice, and deterrence. The findings show that while victims of femicide are given extensive sympathetic coverage, with very high salience, perpetrators are almost entirely absent from media narratives. Only three per cent of stories examined placed perpetrators as central actors. This policy brief argues that the imbalance in media framing undermines journalism’s watchdog role and weakens public confidence in justice systems. Coverage should also amplify survivor voices and local advocacy actors to build public awareness and promote systemic solutions. There is an urgent need for collaboration among media regulators, policymakers, and civil society to develop clear reporting guidelines that balance narratives around victims, perpetrators, and institutions. Finally, sustained partnerships that bring together media, academia, and advocacy groups are necessary to embed intersectional and survivor-centred approaches within journalism training and practice.
Recommended Citation
Booker, Nancy, Owilla, Hesbon Hansen, Nyabuga, George, Sayani, Olivia, Awino, Liz & Kimani, Rose. (2025). Policy brief. Media framing of sexual and gender-based violence and femicide: an analysis of news stories in select Kenyan, Ugandan and Tanzanian media. Aga Khan University – Graduate School of Media and Communications.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Included in
Domestic and Intimate Partner Violence Commons, Gender and Sexuality Commons, Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication Commons, Journalism Studies Commons, Mass Communication Commons