Overemphasis in media on images of Syrian women refugees as victims reinforces marginalization

Al Hayat newspaper wondered in an article published yesterday if the Lebanese media really reflects the role Syrian women refugees in supporting their families and enduring the toughest circumstances of displacement. Al Hayat highlighted a study prepared by Abaad organization in collaboration with Women League for International Peace and Freedom entitled ‘Negative’ portraying the image of displaced Syrian women in the Lebanese media between 2015 and 2016. According to the study, the handling of the refugee issue by the mainstream media was not different from the political state of affairs, noting that treating the Syrian women, in particular, did not vary either, Al Hayat wrote. They remained absent, barely occupying 3% of the news published in newspapers and 29% of the televised reports. The shy presence in the news was exhibited in the context of the crackdown last April on a human trafficking network east of the capital, the study showed. The journalistic coverage mostly depicted those women as victims of domestic violence, human trafficking or victims of macho dominant communities, the study indicated, mentioning that reporting remained within the ordinary humanitarian context. The above study by Abaad drew attention to the extensive and almost spontaneous use of negative stereotypical terms in this regard, which reflects inadequateness on part of journalists and reporters as per the relevance of the language to be used in such cases. In conclusion, Al Hayat citing the study pointed out to the generalized sweeping statements lightly adopted by the media when referring to Syrian refugees. This, in turn, leads to marginalization of women issues for lack of efficiency in investigative follow-up. The Syrian woman refugee, the study concluded, ends up to be a mere victim that has no political, social or economic role whatsoever, the study said. (Al Hayat, March 23, 2017