Women Terrorists and Violent Actors in the Lens of the Media in Kenya: 1980-2019.

Titelangaben

Bosibori, Catheline N.:
Women Terrorists and Violent Actors in the Lens of the Media in Kenya: 1980-2019.
In: East African Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies. Bd. 5 (2 Februar 2022) Heft 1 . - S. 8-21.
ISSN 2707-5303
DOI: https://doi.org/10.37284/eajis.5.1.540

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Abstract

Despite the increasing role of women in violence and terrorist
-
related activities
across the globe, stereotypes depicting
violence and terrorism as a male sphere
continue to shape and, in some cases, prevent the authentic presentation of
women terrorists and violent actors. Essentially, war and violence are attributed
to men and masculine traits. Accordingly, women are mainly
presented as
intrinsically vulnerable, coerced actors, or violence victims in violence and
terrorism. The media plays an essential role in disseminating information about
terrorism and violence to the public. However, it does not operate in a vacuum,
and
thus, reportage of violence and terrorism at times reflects the prevailing
cultural gender stereotypes of war and violence. This paper explores how the
media present women terrorists and violent actors in Kenya. It also explores how
this presentation impac
ts security initiatives and counter
-
terrorism strategies in
the country. The paper uses accessible evidence from media reports on various
female terrorists, terrorist attacks, and security operations to examine these
aspects. It argues that the media label
s women terrorists as vulnerable and
focuses on their age, physical outlook, and statuses rather than the violent act
perpetrated. Such presentation paints an image of irrational, naïve, coerced
female terrorists and victims of violence. Accordingly, the p
aper recommends
that the media
-
mediated images must not influence the implementation of anti
-
terror and violence policies since they do not necessarily reflect the reality on
the ground
.