Bad as usual, in unusual times

The global increase in domestic violence amid the COVID-19 health crisis has reflected in the media with women often encountering stereotypes that perpetuate gender discrimination in both traditional and social media. To map out media practices and assess the overall quality of reporting on violence against women and girls on social media, UN Women joined forces with the BeFem non-governmental organization (NGO) to conduct an analysis entitled, ‘Bad as usual, in unusual times’ with the support of Norwegian embassy in Belgrade. The analysis, which is the first of its kind in the country, covers the state of emergency period in Serbia introduced to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus, from 15 March to 6 May 2020. It focuses on reporting and practices on social media platforms of the mainstream media.