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Throughout the month of October 2021, The Coalition For Women In Journalism documented  40 cases of violations against women journalists. Types of violations include detentions, legal harassment, and physical assaults in the field, among other various kinds of press freedom attacks towards women journalists reporting from different parts of the world. 

At least 19 journalists faced physical assault

Italy: Journalist Flavia Amabile was attacked while she was covering a protest in Rome against Covid-19 vaccinations and mandatory health pass. 

Kosovo: At least five women journalists were attacked by protesters with rocks, Molotov cocktails and pyrotechnic devices. 

Palestine: Journalist Nisreen Salem was physically assaulted and racially abused by officers of the Israel Defense Force while at a check post. 

Turkey: The police physically assaulted 12 women journalists covering student protests in İstanbul. 

One journalist received threats

Canada: CBC journalist Meghan Grant alongside NDP MLA Shannon Phillips received retaliatory threats from officers of Lethbridge Police Service for exposing misconduct within the police force. 

One journalist was expelled from work

United States: In a recent interview given to a US publication, sports journalist Liz Habib opened up about the rampant exploitation in sports journalism and the undue pressure women sports journalists have to face to survive in the industry. 

One woman journalist was attacked in the field

Turkey: Journalists Büşra Taşkıran was restricted by the police during their street interview in Ankara. 

One case of threats and intimidation came to light

Kazakhstan: HOLA News editor-in-chief Zarina Akhmatova and founders Alisher Kaidarov and Adilet Tursynbek were forced to resign after the website of the independent news network was made widely inaccessible for users. 

Seven cases of legal harassment were recorded

Russia: Four women journalists belonging to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) were tagged as 'Foreign Media Agents' by the Justice Ministry. 

 Russia: Galina Arapova was added to the list 'Foreign Media Agents' by the Justice Ministry. 

Turkey: Journalist Derya Okatan appeared in court to defend herself against charges of spreading false propaganda. 

Turkey: A legal inquiry has been initiated against ETHA’s Pınar Gayıp under charges of “targeting a counter-terrorism official”. Pınar reported army sergeant Musa Orhan’s rape of İpek Er, who later died by suicide. 

One woman journalist faced online harassment

Argentina: Journalist Sandra Borghi was targeted by imposters who stole her identity on social media. 

While at least six faced an organized troll campaign

Canada: Journalist Saba Eitizaz received misogynist, racist and threatening emails as part of a malicious campaign launched against women journalists and women in color.

Canada: Freelance sports journalist Shireen Ahmed and CBC host Angela Sterritt were targeted during a widespread digital hate campaign against journalists of color. 

Canada: Tanya Hayles received hateful emails by right-wing trolls as part of a widespread campaign against women journalists and journalists of color. 

Canada: Ashleigh-Rae Thomas was targeted with vile racist emails by right-wing trolls as part of an organized campaign to intimidate women journalists and journalists of color.

Pakistan: Prominent broadcast journalist and Coalition For Women In Journalism member Asma Shirazi was hit by yet another state-backed organized troll campaign. 

One woman journalist faced a sexist attack

Russia: President of Russia Vladimir Putin made sexist remarks against CNBC journalist Hadley Gamble during an interview. 

One woman journalist had to confront sexual harassment

United Kingdom: BBC journalist Fiona Irving was interrupted by seven men during her live broadcast who ran across the camera screaming sexist remarks against the journalist. 

And one woman faced a racist attack

United States: Conservative YouTube personality Steven Crowder targeted KPIX 5 reporter Betty Yu with racist remarks in a video published on his channel. 

Two women journalists faced verbal harassment

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Milorad Dodik, the Serbian member of the tripartite presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, verbally attacked N1 journalist Sladjana Jaserevic.

Pakistan: Iqra Nasir was targeted with vile abuses when she tried to intervene in the spat between two former cricket superstars about whose sporting side was better.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is proud of the safety network it has established for women journalists around the world. We reached out to Stefanie Medina and she spoke to us about the importance of women journalists’ contribution to the field. 

“One of the almost magical privileges of this job is to be able to give you the license to try (and almost always achieve) that unknown people, and that you will probably not see again, tell you their story and if possible, open their hearts to you. It is, for me, the most beautiful thing about being a journalist. Being a woman and a journalist is not a winning deck. Insults, when there are any, are sexist and many times it is believed that our prowess or professional evolution is not due to our merits and intelligence. It remains to look straight ahead and continue to show that talent, even if it is uncomfortable, should not be hidden and that being a woman and a journalist can be a tool for change, to achieve a more just, equitable, and informed world,” she said.

As the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists approaches, the CFWIJ stresses that while the attacks on journalists go unpunished, attacks on women journalists often also go unnoticed. The CFWIJ stands against all kinds of violations faced by women journalists across the globe. We extend support to women journalists, who face double persecution because of both their gender and their reportage. 

"The Coalition For Women In Journalism has been documenting the harassment and intimidation of female journalists around the world, which helps highlight the various challenges they face. The government pays no attention to complaints of threats and officials are often seen justifying the intimidation of journalists, which serves to normalise these attacks on press freedom. Networks like CFWIJ therefore play an important role in pressuring the authorities to act and protect journalists," says Pakistani journalist Ailia Zehra.

Cover Photo Credit: Al Jazeera-Reuters/Eloisa Lopez