By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, May 23: A panel discussion revolving around the topic of how women and sexual violence are depicted in the media, took centre stage on the second and final day of the film screening and exhibition event organised by the Martin Luther Christian University (MLCU), here on Thursday.
The day witnessed the screening of the movie Face Cover, wherein Ashifa in Kattankdy navigates the complex social forces shaping her and other women’s stories in this docu-fiction film, directed by AM Ashfaque. The other movie that was screened was Flames of a Continuous Field of Time, which from its multitude of voices attempts to examine the society around the bold yet invisible existence of Dalit women in Nepal. The second movie was directed by Barkha Mukhiya.
The panellists were Patricia Mukhim, Editor of The Shillong Times, Lalnunsanga Ralte and Lavinia Meba Airisa Mawlong, both MLCU faculty, Karen L Donoghue, assistant professor, NEHU, and Pawas Manandhar, Programme Manager for the South Asia Trust.
The panel delved into several important topics of how women are represented in media, reportage of women-related crimes in media, among others.
Patricia Mukhim, bringing the discourse home, said, “As a state we are for sure a romanticised matriliny, but do we even have women organisations to bring up issues bothering our state or our gender to the roads. That is something that one should think about.” Further, the panel members discussed how sometimes reportage of women related crimes is biased.
Mukhim, further delving into it, said, “When we report about sexual crimes, we pick up quotes, and often times report without empathy.”
The panel discussion also had the MLCU Chancellor, Pro Chancellor, Registrar, officers, Deans, Heads of various Departments, students from the Departments of Sociology, Social Work and the School of Languages and Cultural Communication, who also took part in the discussion, furthering the idea of gender sensitivity and gender stereotypes, and how to come out of it.