VIOLENCE IN VALLEY: ANALYSING GENDER BASED VIOLENCE IN KASHMIR AND MEDIA’S BLACKOUT
TITLE – VIOLENCE IN VALLEY: ANALYSING GENDER BASED VIOLENCE IN KASHMIR AND MEDIA’S BLACKOUT
Gender-based violence is a phenomenon deeply rooted in gender inequality, and continues to be one of the most notable human rights violations within all societies. Both women and men experience gender-based violence but the majority of victims are women. Violence against women is a form of discrimination and a violation of their fundamental freedoms and rights. It includes all acts of violence against women that is physical, sexual, psychological or economic harm or suffering to women, including acts of coercion and deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.
Studies at the global level have repeatedly revealed that women are underrepresented in news media - in terms of by lines for reporters as well as sources within the news items (Meyers,1997).The aim of our paper is to highlight violence against women in Kashmir and how traditional media that includes both print and electronic media ignored this issue. In this paper we will also highlight two major incidents of violence against women that shook the country and how media dealt with it.
GENDER BASED VIOLENCE IN KASHMIR –
As we all know that since independence Jammu and Kashmir is a territorial dispute between India and Pakistan. This dispute aggravates militancy and armed conflict that have taken a heavy toll of life and public property. There is a gradual rise in terms of gender discrimination within the last few decades due to prevailing social and political turmoil significantly manifested.
The Lack of women’s participation in socio economic and political activities that resulted into erosion of their freedom of speech, education and employment opportunities. (Gul and Khan, 2013) Due to the situation of violence caused by militancy and armed conflict women in Jammu and Kashmir become the most vulnerable and the worst hit section of the society. A study conducted in 2005 concluded, “There can be no two opinions that the women of Kashmir during the past two decades have been in the vanguard and have been fighting battles against all kinds of injustices and crimes against humanity committed by the State and by some dubious non-state actors”(Dabla,2009).
A factor clearly responsible for hampering the path of development of women is domestic violence. Domestic violence against women is on the rise in Jammu and Kashmir. Even the educated and the economically independent women are at the receiving end, according to anecdotal evidence contained in police data. 70% of all crime reported to the police involve domestic violence(Sharma,2010).
Son preference affects women in the State (Bilal,2015). Its consequences can be anything from female infanticide to neglect of the girl child’s essential needs as nutrition, basic health care and education. They are the victims of violence in both public and private domain but they never gained recognition of their pain by traditional media.
National media has adopted 'partial journalism' policy when it comes to Jammu and Kashmir(Gadda,2014) Press has play a prominent role in Kashmir in terms of reporting on human right violations and representing the public view point and keeping check over the atrocities that the civilians usually face in any conflict zone. The media outlook in Kashmir is dominated by two major players—the local newspapers and the national press. And each has been covering Kashmir conflict from different perspectives, thus creating varied opinions about the situation therein. The local media has been presenting a local aspect on the history of Jammu and Kashmir, the relation of Kashmir with the neighbouring nations, the migrations within and beyond the valley, encounters, combats, human rights abuses, and the causalities. On the other hand, the National media has been the only source of information about Kashmir for the society outside. National media such as zee news, has reported the situation in Kashmir with a partial approach, narrating only the official policy, and Ignoring the reality, that hurts the interests of India as a nation. As a result the reality of Kashmir has remained unreported creating a mental and ideological divide between people of the state and of the India as a whole. The approach of ‘Partial Journalism’ by the National media has contributed in the growing sense of alienation and distrust among the people of conflict-ridden Kashmir(Gadda,2014).
In valley the dominant source of information is newspaper whereas electronic media is gradually emerging. Also the radio stations are either state owned or run from outside the state.
KUNAN POSHPORA AND KATHUA RAPE CASE – MEDIA BLACKOUT
Kunan Poshspora incident occurred on February 23, 1991, when units of the army launched a search and interrogation operation in the village of Kunan Poshpora, located in Kupwara District. At least 53 women were allegedly gang raped by soldiers that night. However, Human Rights organizations including Human Rights watch have reported that the number of raped women could be as high as 100. The Army has denied the accusation, calling it baseless and a malicious lie. The case has never been investigated to its logical conclusion through established process.
This incident showed Press biasness towards security forces as , Mr.Verghese and another committee members flew to Kunan-Poshpora. They stayed in the quarters of the brigade alleged to have committed the offence and making it a ‘sponsored visit’. “You can call us government stooges because we took their hospitality. But the writing is ours,” says Mr .Verghese. Without interacting with any victim, the Press council team dismissed all findings by independent sources, declaring the rape allegations against security forces as “a dirty trick to defame the army.(The Hindu). The PCI report is the most extensive and detailed report of the alleged kunan poshpora incident made by the J&K government, army and police. The mainstream Indian media had disgracefully fled the scene in 1990-91 and there was an information vacuum that was largely filled by gun wielding militants proliferate lies.
The whole incident was ignored by national media. National media choose to report only those events that benefit their media house. The incidents occur in central India grab more attention by media as compare to other parts.
Last year in the month of January an incident that shook the humanity took place in Kathua.It involved the long drawn repeated rape and brutal murder of an eight year old girl belonging to a tribal community of Kashmir valley the Bakarwals. This case involved seven adults and one minor as perpetrators.
Some media circles only reported when the incidents are particularly gruesome or sensational in some manner. Mainstream media highlighted this case in the month of April although the incident took place in January followed by a rally in February that was organised in protest of the arrest of one of the accused.. There was hardly any media coverage about rape even then. A reporter pointed out in a podcast that Salman Khan got headlines in at least 9 leading dailies and that to on their front page, how does a girl's repeated rape for at least a week not get a front page coverage except one column in Times of India?(Newslaundry,2018).
Also Delhi High Court issued notices and ordered for levying fines from several media houses for violating the law by wrongfully revealing the identity of the girl. It has been alleged that the Indian media - especially the globalized and liberalized Indian television news media has a pro-affluent bias in terms of covering rape, focusing mainly on upper caste and middle class women, avoiding ethical discussion of violence against marginalized women.
Dainik Jagaran - a popular mainstream Hindi newspaper claimed in one of its online story that the Kathua girl was not raped. It claimed, based on unrevealed sources, that there were two post-mortem reports(The Quint,2018). Also, Zee news - a television channel - claimed to reveal a "big truth” exonerating one of the accused in the case on very flimsy grounds. All of this speculation is being publicized while the trial is in progress legally (Zee news,2018)
Also the newspaper gives such cases the marginalized and little spaces. The cases of crime against women do not qualify to get published in the front pages. A general perception has developed about National Media in the Kashmir Valley that it crushes professionalism and objectivity to serve the country’s ‘national interest’.
MEDIA AND WOMEN EMPOWERMENT -
The local dailies have been found to cover gender issues mostly in the form of hard news. The publications come up with soft and feature stories but rarely. Therefore it is recommended that the publication should launch a campaign to fight and recognise violence against women. There are numerous cases awaiting justice for a very long time and publications should bring those cases into light to draw public and government attention and thus help them get addressed (Greater Kashmir press,2015).
Stories on gender issues are mostly published on inside pages, except for a few occasions. Such as the news of the death anniversary of 2009 Shopian victims Aasiya and Neelofar was carried on front page by all the publications probably because the issue turned out to be more of political in nature than a gender issue.
The news related to crimes against women, get space one to three columns and rarely go beyond four columns. Most of the news stories are based on press releases and wire agencies. A decent number of reporter stories are also carried by the publications, but not enough to depict their seriousness towards gender beat. The publications should assign stories regarding violence against women to reporters rather than relying on official hand outs, press releases and agency stories. The publications need to be a little more serious about these issues.(Greater Kashmir press,2015)
CONCLUSION –
Gender based violence is a widespread and pervasive form of violence. It is very inclusive in the sense that it includes women from all strata. It is a process of socialization that conditions a certain kind of thinking and preaches a kind of culture that normalizes rape and other acts of violence against women. Normalizing rape culture is as serious as rape, because it perpetuates rape
We should do more research and in-depth analysis on the issues of women so that their problems will be dealt with sense of responsibility.
It is most significant to keep a check on gender based socialisation and social control both at family and society level which trains men to be the controller and assertive in social relations and grant them limitless freedom and power. Media should be neutral while covering the news in war torn areas so that the people in the valley also represented in the media and not feel alienated from rest of the country. Employment of more women journalists should be encouraged in order to cover more news report on violence against women.
National media should be more comprehensive and inclusive in terms of women issues in the valley. It should also be more sensitive while reporting on the cases like rape and must follow the ethics of journalism, reporting on the real issues of the valley.
Sangmitra and Yukta Talwar
Political science honours
Second year
References-
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