Analysis of Print Media's Role in Addressing Violence against Women

Abstract

Violence against women is considered an issue of international attention or concern. In this study the researcher analyzed the content published in newspapers regarding violence against women. Two English dailies (Dawn and The News) and two Urdu dailies (Express and Nawa-i-Waqt) have been selected. The content analysis approach was adopted to accomplish the research study. A 6-month period of study from January to June 2023 has been selected. Each news story regarding violence against women was treated as a unit of analysis that appeared on front, back and inside pages. In this study we have made seven categories of violence against women to analyze the coverage, i.e., 1. Murder, 2. Suicide, 3. Kidnapping, 4. Rape, 5. Acid throwing, 6. Fire burning, 7. Harassment and others. To read out different documents to gain information about the topic under study, the method of document study is applied. The findings revealed that violence against women is of notable ratio and women are depicted in a passive role. This study is not only helpful for academic purposes but also helps to address actual problems which are being faced by women in this region. The study is also helpful in providing guidelines for the formulation of legislation related to women. This study is a very important addition to the field of research related to violence against women.