THE ROLE OF THE MASS MEDIA IN THE PROPAGATION AGAINST GENDER BASED VIOLENCE.

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to examine the cases of Gender discrimination and domestic violence which  are endemic in Nigeria and pose an issue of tremendous human rights and public health concern. However, violence against women continues to be perceived as acceptable by a large proportion of both men and women. This paper explores the question: does greater exposure to media affect acceptance of domestic violence by women in Nigeria? And also what role is expected from the Media in curbing the problem ? Using the Survey research design, the study reveals that there is no significant impact of switching into either only watching television or only listening to radio in the second period on women’s acceptance of violence. However, the impact of television when a woman switches into accessing both media over time is associated with a 3.9% reduced probability of accepting domestic violence, indicating a complementary effect of both media on reducing women’s acceptance of violence. While the results do not provide clear evidence on which mechanisms drive the association between increased access to media and reduced probability of accepting violence, I find that the complementary effect of television and radio is able to cross the education and urban- rural divides. These results indicate that policies which seek to empower women can promote the regular use of complementary media to further the cause of women’s empowerment. I recommend that the media works hand in hand with NGO’s and government officials in developing an action plan against cases of domestic violence on women.