Media Freedom Coalition statement: International Women’s Day 2023

As the world celebrates International Women’s Day 2023, the undersigned members ofthe Media Freedom Coalition call attention to the safety of women journalists and mediaworkers. Women journalists are integral to the pursuit of justice and truth. Via their workas journalists and media workers, they bring attention and a diversity of views on issuesthat need to be raised. However, while pursuing their work, they continue to facedisproportionate violence, threats and harassment.

We are deeply alarmed by the significant worldwide escalation in the scale and intensityof deliberate attacks on women journalists and media workers, both online and offline.
73% of women journalists reported they had experienced online violence during theirwork in a December 2022 ICFJ report. This International Women’s Day we also honourand recall the women journalists who have been killed in the line of duty while reportingon wars, especially those who lost their lives in 2022.

The Media Freedom Coalition recognises the powerful role that a diverse and pluralisticmedia environment can have in providing access to information and debate, and inensuring the enjoyment of the right to freedom of expression for all. To enable a positiveand flourishing free media, the chilling effect of online and offline harassment of womenjournalists and media workers must cease.

We call on states, media companies, workplaces, technology platforms and civil societygroups, to speak out against technology facilitated gender-based violence, to preventand address all forms of violence against women journalists and media workers, bothonline and offline, to defend their ability to practice journalism freely and safely, and joinforces to develop viable solutions to this serious threat to media freedom and diversity.

On this International Women’s Day, we call on States to end the repression and targetingof women journalists and to combat egregious sexual and gender-based violence andcommit to the protection of women journalists and media workers, both offline andonline, and defend their ability to carry out their work in safety.

Signed: