Domestic Violence and Its Portrayal in the Media: The Case of Saltanat Nukenova

Abstract

This study focuses on the media representation of women who have been subjected to domestic violence in Kazakhstan. The primary objective is to examine how women, victims of domestic violence, were portrayed by state media, thereby understanding the government’s narrative. In particular, the media’s representation of women as victims of domestic violence, the analysis of how information reaches the audience, and the identification of the prominent trends that the media forms.

The study, guided by the theory of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), uses Saltanat Nukenova’s case as a lens to examine the societal implications of the media’s portrayal of women. This approach enables us to uncover the ideologies that underlie these representations, particularly the power dynamics between authorities and society, as well as their influence on social norms. The study, in the case of Saltanat Nukenova, provides a critical analysis that should concern and engage the audience. 

The results of the study show that the media often distorts the image of women, portraying them as excessively weak and vulnerable, while the root social causes of violence go unnoticed. This underscores the urgent need for a critical analysis to address these issues, emphasizing the importance of the research to the audience.