WUNRN
WOMEN JOURNALISTS INCREASINGLY AT
RISK AS WOMEN'S HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS
Threats and violence against women
journalists are on the rise in many regions of the world. In their work
exposing injustices and bearing witness to human rights violations, women journalists
are women human rights defenders and as such are in need of better security and
protection mechanisms.
By Katherine Ronderos
Journalism can be a very dangerous job, in
particular for reporters who expose injustices in hostile, corrupt and violent
environments and in war zones. In addition to the different forms of violence
against journalists, both men and women, and obstacles to their work, including
threats, murder, confiscation of material, deportation, arrests and
intimidation, female journalists face certain gendered risks within this male
dominated profession.
Female journalist as women human rights
defenders
In her third report to the UN Human Rights Council, the first to
focus exclusively on the situation of women defenders and those working on
women’s rights or gender issues, Margaret Sekaggya, the Special Rapporteur on
the situation of human rights defenders highlighted that “women journalists and
media professionals working on human rights issues also appear to be exposed to
risks as a result of their work.”[1]
In chapter two of her latest thematic report to the UN Human Rights Council, the
Special Rapporteur Sekaggya focuses on the specific risks and challenges faced
by selected groups of defenders, including journalists and media workers.
She explains that although many professions do not directly involve the
protection and defense of human rights per se, their work has an impact
on human rights and could be related to or have links with human rights
violations, saying “Journalists and media workers monitoring demonstrations and
shedding light on violations and abuses often risk their lives”. She goes on to
say that the watchdog role that journalists and media workers play is essential
and that “restrictions on media and press freedom, and impunity around
violations against journalists and media workers defending human rights can
foster a climate of intimidation, stigmatization, violence and self-censorship
that can have a chilling effect of their work.”[2]
The main international instrument on human
rights defenders, the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders (1999) provides a
legal framework that “seeks to protect the monitoring and advocacy functions of
journalists and media workers by recognizing in its article 6 their right to
obtain and disseminate information relevant to the enjoyment of human rights.”[3]The UN Security Council Resolution
1738 (2006) condemns attacks against journalists in conflict situations,
emphasizing “the responsibility of States in that regard, as well as their
obligation to end impunity and to prosecute those responsible for serious
violations.”[4]The Council urges armed actors (both State and non-state)
to respect the professional independence and rights of journalists, media
professionals and associated personnel.
Detention, intimidation and killing of
women journalists
Detention, threats and killings are just
some of the forms of violence women journalists from across the globe face
because of the work they do, in a profession that is male dominated and steeped
in cultural and patriarchal norms. For example Reeyot Alemu, columnist for the
Ethiopian newspaper Feteh, and one of three winners of the 2012 Courage in
Journalism Awards, was sentenced to 14 years in prison in September 2011.
Alemu is accused of conspiracy to commit terrorist acts and participation in a
terrorist organization. The Ethiopian government presented articles Alemu wrote
criticizing its actions as evidence at her trial, including telephone
conversations she had on peaceful protests. Alemu is one of the few women
reporters writing critically about the political climate in
Khadija Ismayilova, reporter for Radio
Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Azerbaijani service, and winner of the 2012 Courage
in Journalism Awards[5], has investigated and exposed corruption and power abuse
at the highest levels in
In October 2011, the life of Guatemalan journalist Lucía Escobar completely changed. In
the days following the publication of her article Of Ravens, Eyes and Demons,
for the national newspaper El Periódico, Escobar received multiple
threats through anonymous emails forcing her and her family into hiding.
Blogger and freelance writer, Asmaa al-Ghoul, based in
Multiple award-winning Russian journalist,
Anna Politkovskaya, was found shot dead in
Speaking out on violence against women
journalists
Sexual violence, threats and attacks
against female journalists are rarely talked about within journalistic circles,
in the news media or by non-governmental organizations. And many woman
journalists, from across the globe, who have been sexually abused choose to
remain silent due to cultural and professional stigmas that could mean losing
future assignments.
But recently women have decided to talk
publicly about this violence in order to help other female journalists and
encourage them to report these crimes and call for justice. Colombian
journalist Jineth Bedoya and the Swedish correspondent Jenny Nordberg are two
important examples of this trend in disclosure for the sake of creating change.[6]The public denouncement of the brutal attack and sexual
assault of journalist Lara Logan while reporting for CBS News from Egypt’s
Tahrir Square, in February 2011, encouraged other women to start sharing their
experiences of having been sexually harassed and assaulted while working on
assignments.
Motivated by the increasing number of
requests for personal safety tips from female journalist working in dangerous
situations, the International
News Safety Institute (INSI) has published the book comprising 40
essays by women journalists about their experiences and challenges they
confront in their work. Launched on International Women’s Day, No Woman's
Land – On the Frontlines with Female Reporters, seeks to raise
awareness about the dangers, identify common security and protection solutions
and help “women venturing into the profession to get advice from women who have
already been there.”[7] The murder of the Sunday Times
award-winning[8]American correspondent Marie Colvin who was covering the
Siege of Homs in Syria just a few days before the launch of the book, has shown
the relevance and timeliness of the publication since it also addresses the
lack of attention paid to threats, human rights violations, gender
discrimination and sexual violence affecting female journalists, particularly
in conflict zones. All proceeds from the book will go to providing safety
training for women journalists.
The Committee
to Protect Journalists(CPJ) has also revised their handbook to better
address sexual assault, releasing in May 2012, a new Journalist Security Guide with sections on how to protect oneself from sexual violence and how to cover protests.
Structural changes are needed
The critical contribution women make to
journalism needs to be recognised and valued. Caroline Wyatt, a BBC News
correspondent, recognised the different perspective that women journalists
bring to reporting on war: “a little less focus on the bombs and bullets, and
more on what the end of the Taliban's rule in the north would mean for the
families we met, and for their future.”[9]
Women journalists need to carry out their
work with adequate security, protection and high-level support, but as Zeina
Awad, co-host of Fault Lines says “I don't think we're served by turning the
discussion into a narrative of female victimisation.”[10] But gender-biased decisions continue to affect
the assignments and potentially the careers of women correspondents and Tina
Susman recommends that instead of stopping female reporters (seen as
potential rape victims) from going to conflict zones, their agencies, editors
and colleagues “should offer better security measures and effective safety
tips.”[11]
Gender-specific measures are needed to
address the challenges of women investigative journalists working on human
rights-related issues, women columnists advocating human rights reform, women
reporters monitoring and reporting on violations of human rights and women
bloggers.