Friday, December 18th, 2009 - 4 comments

Using the media to reduce domestic violence

Violence against women usually occurs when it is considered socially acceptable. People are attempting to use the radio soap operas in developing nations to model positive social change.

Violence against women is a global problem, but its incidence varies widely.  It tends to be much higher where it is regarded as a socially acceptable. Though violence against women is considered wrong in the United States, this was not always the case. Moreover, there are still places where abuse of women is socially accepted. In order to ensure that people see domestic violence as wrong, developing nations like Ethiopia and the Philippines are using soap operas transmitted via the radio to show people more appropriate standards of behavior.

Changing perceptions in the U.S.

Violence against women was fairly acceptable not that long ago in the U.S. I recently attended a Kennedy Center production of A Streetcar Named Desire.  In watching this performance of the classic play written by Tennessee Williams in 1947, I was struck by the scenes of domestic violence, including the famous fight between Stella and her husband.  After the fight is over, Stella cheerfully forgives her husband for hitting her, and life goes back to normal.  This happened because wife-beating was probably more prevalent–and more accepted–in 1947 than it is today.

A socially unacceptable problem

I would like to think, however, that social norms in the U.S. regarding domestic violence have changed in the past half century, as exemplified perhaps by the strong negative public reaction to the alleged beating of Rihanna by her boyfriend, singer Chris Brown.  While violence against women in the U.S. still persists, it’s no longer acceptable.  No exceptions.  No excuses.

Developing countries and violence

But in many poor developing countries, domestic violence is still very prevalent.  In some parts of sub-Saharan Africa, 40-60% of married women report being physically abused by their husbands.

Positive change through media

This October, I attended a workshop on domestic violence that was held by the Population Media Center (PMC) in Ethiopia.  For several years now, PMC Ethiopia has been producing highly successful radio serial dramas, or soap operas, that reach about half of the country’s 77 million people. Extensive pre and post-surveys at public health clinics indicate that serial dramas have been very effective in informing women and men about family planning, prevention of AIDS, and harmful practices such as female genital mutilation.

Using a method developed by Miguel Sabido for use in telenovelas in Mexico, the serial dramas produced by PMC model positive social behaviors. The characters may begin the series exhibiting negative behaviors, but through interaction with other characters and twists and turns in the plot, they learn and come to recognize the value of positive social behavior.  And so do the listeners.

The writers of these Ethiopian serial dramas now see the need to tackle another major problem:  domestic violence.  For that purpose, they brought in an expert to talk about how Albert Bandura and other leading psychologists have used social modeling to combat problems such as violence and substance abuse.  Having observed the workshop, I am keenly interested to see what type of programming is subsequently produced.

Soap operas in the Philippines

PMC has already produced soap operas in the Philippines to address issues related to domestic violence. From July to December 2005, PMC produced a radio soap opera that stressed the importance of taking care of siblings; learning to forgive; supporting others; staying away from substance abuse and other vices; and the sharing of parenting and household responsibilities.  After five months of broadcasting, 22% of surveyed Barangay captains (local leaders) cited a decrease in reported cases of spousal abuse.  In the month after the end of the program, 75% of Barangay captains reported no cases of spousal abuse.

Great potential

Serial dramas are not the only answer to violence against women; battered women need physical and social support networks, and governments need to crack down on domestic violence offenders. But in places where social norms perpetuate domestic violence by making it an acceptable part of life, serial dramas offer great potential by showing people that it is never right.  More support and follow up research is needed.

The views expressed in this blog-post are solely those of the author.