The Coalition for Women in Journalism (CFWIJ) has recorded a staggering 97 cases of harassment, threats, assault, and arrest of female journalists in February 2021 alone.
Just days away from International Women’s Day, the CFWIJ reiterated the need to end the inequalities surrounding gender, age, health status, occupation, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and many others. They added they offer their support to female reporters who are exposed to discrimination.
The increase in the number of reports shows a significant increase from December when there were just under 25 reports. This is an increase of 61.6% in just two months.
In terms of the biggest offender, Turkey registered 35 cases of oppression, 24 of which were legal harassment. CFWIJ called on Turkey to end the culture of silencing journalists through the manipulation of the legal system.
In India, 12 cases of repression came to light as several female journalists covering recent protests were manhandled by police.
Sexual harassment remains rife and the US registered seven out of the ten incidents recorded during February.
Additionally, Belarus was also called out for its treatment of journalists reporting on the ongoing civil unrest. This includes the imprisonment of two female journalists, Katsyaryna Andreyeva and Darya Chultsova who were sentenced to two years.
In Northern Ireland, a case was reported where some journalists received death threats. Their names were graffitied on the wall alongside an image of a gun target. The CFWIJ called on state authorities to address the ongoing insecurity that is prevalent in the region.
Over the reporting period, 11 women were subjected to online troll campaigns. This included journalists in Canada, the Netherlands, India, the US, and Turkey.
In Serbia, Journalist Nataša Miljanović-Zubac was verbally abused by Vojislav Šešelj, the founder and president of the far-right Serbian Radical Party, as well as a convicted war criminal. Nataša was targeted on live television during the politician’s January 30 appearance on the Weekend Morning show on Happy TV.
