Gender-based violence and the challenge of visual representation

Considering the efforts to resolve the societal phenomenon of violence against women
(VAW), universal in all countries, information, awareness-raising and the role of the media
are regarded as key targets. According to the European Commission (2010), the
audiovisual sector is the most important source of information. Consequently, this paper
aims to discuss the attitudes towards and the manifestations of the visual
representation of violence against women. The discussion is based on existing findings
about depictions in the mainstream media and on the analysis of visuals provided by the
anti-violence against women movement.