Portrayal of Violence Against Women in the News Media of Bangladesh: Looking through the Case of Rumana Manzur


Zerrin Akter Anni, University of British Columbia

Medias role in shaping perceptions of violence against women and their portrayal in news reporting significantly influences our understanding of this critical issue. My research delves into the intricate dynamics between media and violence against women in Bangladesh, using the prominent case of Rumana Manzur, a former UBC Fulbright Scholar who suffered a brutal assault by her ex-husband in June 2011. By conducting a qualitative research method, I employ ethnographic media analysis of news reports to investigate how the popular news media of Bangladesh responds to the issue of violence against women and represents the victims of such violence. The first section of findings of this research highlights that news media can perpetuate gender stereotypes and subtly shift blame onto the victim through various techniques, creating intricate interactions between the reader and the text. These techniques include sensationalized headlines, textual content, and graphic images. This victim-blaming process not only retraumatizes the survivor but also distorts the actual facts when presenting the case to a larger audience. Consequently, the representation of violence against women cases in media, particularly the portrayal of women as victims during reporting, significantly impacts our collective comprehension of this issue. Nevertheless, by delving deeper into the transformative journey of the Rumana Manzur from 2011 to 2018, the second chapter of findings also suggested that a number of articles from a selected newspaper underwent a significant evolution over the years, transcending the conventional portrayal of victims in news media. I contend that when viewed through a feminist lens, a noticeable transformation is noticeable in the way certain news media present its narrative, shifting away the focus from victimhood to the empowerment of survivors. This shift successfully challenges deeply ingrained stereotypes and the inclination to blame victims of violence providing a source of resilience by showcasing strength as well as advocating for transformative social justice. To conclude, throughout the thesis, I have addressed noticable gaps in the literature, including the need for a feminist perspective in media analysis of violence against women, the ethical considerations in sensationalism, and the role of media in shifting the focus from victimhood to empowerment. Therefore, the research contributes to filling these gaps by providing a nuanced analysis of media portrayals of violence in the context of Bangladesh, using a prominent case study. Additionally, the research underscores the importance of ethical reporting and the medias role in shaping public perception, making a valuable contribution to the discourse on gender-based violence in media.

This paper will be presented at the following session: