The scourge of violence against women journalists

For women in journalism the threat of violence has escalated over recent years as social media is increasingly used as a tool of intimidation.

This is according to investigative journalist Pauli Van Wyk who said the threat of attacks online impacts women journalists psychologically and professionally.

“One hardens up and that is a pity. Losing your empathy means you become permanently defensive, cantankerous. It impacts on your ability to pick out stories, to work with people, to effectively shine light on a situation,” she said.

Because of the type of work that they do, many women journalists face violence and harassment both on and offline.

“Attacks perpetrated against women journalists have the effect of reducing the information media plurality and have a chilling effect among other journalists, in particular women,” said Media Defence in a statement following the attack of Columbian journalist Jineth Bedoya.

Jineth Bedoya was kidnapped, raped and tortured by paramilitaries in 2000. Bodeya was investigating a weapons smuggling ring when she was abducted and assaulted by far-right militia members.

“The voices and points of view of women in the public marketplace of ideas are reduced and the lack of gender diversity in journalism results in decreased plurality,” the Media Defence statement continued.

After a particularly difficult stint of published articles and the related backlash, Van Wyk admits continuing to ply her trade is challenging.

“When times are particularly tough, I find a recurring question bubbles to the surface: “Is all of this worth it? I could have become an auditor, attorney, forensic investigator, even perhaps a doctor. Higher paying jobs with less work-related trauma,” she said.

The loss of women in the profession can distort the media landscape by threatening freedom of expression and perpetuating inequalities both in newsrooms and societies.

Harassment in the workplace

Safety remains a growing concern for women journalists as their work has left them vulnerable to attacks and harassment both online and offline.

To compound the danger, they are also vulnerable in the workplace as well.

A recent Women in News report found that one in two women has suffered sexual harassment in the workplace in Africa and only 30% of these cases are reported.

“Women stay silent because of a fear of retaliation and a lack of faith that their organisations will do anything about their reports,” the report found.

But not all journalists remain silent, including Cameroonian media rights activist and journalist Evelyne Luyelo.

“I had to quit a job following harassment from a manager and then I went elsewhere where I found myself in the same situation and I decided to act,” said Luyelo.

Inequality in the newsrooms not only creates unequal recognition but also means women must work twice as hard which counterintuitively actually increases the risks they face.

“We feel insecure. It is difficult to work as a female journalist because you are constantly challenged. You have to work harder than your male colleagues to be considered and respected,” she said.

Way forward

A UNESCO report has highlighted that the attacks on women journalists can range from harassment, stigmatisation, sexist hate speech, trolling, physical assault, rape to even murder.

Luyelo says training is needed to both empower and capacitate women with ways to both identify and handle violence.

“Women need to be informed. That they are able to know how to identify violence. While they are constantly training to deserve their positions, the less competent they are, the more they are inclined to be victims of violence due to their vulnerability,” she said.

Van Wyk believes that to prevent, protect and assist women journalists who survive GBV, the law needs to address online violence as it does physical acts of violence to guarantee the safety of women journalists facing risks when carrying out their work.

“Prosecutors, judges and the police must also be better informed that online harassment, violence and defamation is just as harmful as physically violent acts. [...] We need to develop our law to allow for these transgressions to become crimes so as to be prosecutable.”

Luyelo urges women journalists to speak out to stop perpetrators from harassing other women.

“If they don't report, the perpetrators will not be arrested and will claim more victims. They should also not miss the opportunities to train themselves to do their job well,” she said.