Musasa Strengthens Media Capacity to Report TFGBV Without Causing Further Harm

Musasa Project trained 25 journalists, editors and media representatives from media houses and partner organisations on 31 July 2026 in Harare, strengthening their capacity to identify, report and respond to technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) while reducing the risk of further harm to survivors, recognisng that the violence can affect women, girls, men and boys.

The training brought together representatives from Zimpapers Television Network, The Herald, Daily News, Kwayedza, ZBC, Zimpapers, Grant Media and The Ollah 7 podcast, as well as the Zimbabwe Republic Police Victim Friendly Unit, Zimbabwe Women Lawyers Association (ZWLA), Ministry of Women Affairs, Department of Social Development, Deaf Women Included, UDACIZA and Trocaire.

The training responded to the growing use of digital platforms to perpetrate gender-based violence and the need for media practitioners to recognise and report these forms of abuse accurately. Facilitated by Musasa Programme Officer Princess Khumalo, participants examined forms of TFGBV including online harassment, threats, monitoring, sexual abuse, humiliation and control, and how digital abuse affects survivors’ safety, mental health and participation in public life. Princess also emphasised that TFGBV is not experienced by women and girls alone, noting that men and boys can also be affected and should be recognised in discussions and responses to digital violence.

A major outcome was a stronger focus on the media’s role in preventing reporting from becoming another source of harm. Journalists and editors examined the consequences of language, headlines, photographs, disclosure of identifying information and publication of abusive content.

The discussions also challenged the language used when reporting femicide. Musasa Executive Director Vimbai Mutendereki urged reporters to stop describing killings of women as “crimes of passion”, warning that the phrase can romanticise violence and shift attention from perpetrators.

“Reporters should stop romanticising femicide by calling them crimes of passion because it’s justifying that there was more love in a man’s heart enough to make him kill, which is wrong. Murder is murder,” she said.

Musasa Board Chair Batrice Tonhodza reinforced the need for responsible headlines, saying the media’s role is to “educate, inform and entertain not to bash women”. The discussion challenged practitioners to consider how headlines shape public judgement of women.

The training also strengthened understanding of the legal and survivor-protection dimensions of TFGBV. ZWLA representative Samantha Chidodo addressed relevant legal considerations, including survivor rights and privacy, while The Herald News Editor Elita Chikwati stressed the need for journalists to understand complex TFGBV terminology before translating it for the public.

Deaf Women Included representative Lilian Gwanyanya highlighted survivors who may not know they are being exposed online until someone alerts them, reinforcing the need for accessible reporting and awareness.

Assistant Commissioner Dr Matildah Singende of the ZRP Victim Friendly Unit noted that perpetrators are adapting as technology changes, while UDACIZA representative Philemon Handinahama highlighted underreporting of online abuse among young people.

For Musasa, bringing these sectors together created a shared understanding of reporting gaps and steps needed to improve coverage. The training connected newsroom decisions with survivor protection, legal response and awareness.

Trocaire representative Donna Nyadete called for a proactive response: “It is time for us to take measures and be proactive in terms of responding to technology-facilitated gender-based violence.”

The 25 participants leave better positioned to recognise TFGBV, question harmful narratives and report without reproducing violence or exposing survivors to ongoing harm.