Sexual violence: a silencing tool

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is an organization that defends the right of journalists to report without fear of reprisal. While all journalists face threats, our research indicates that women journalists face other challenges. In 2011, the Committee launched a special report The Silencing Crime which documented how sexual violence is used to shut down women journalists.  In 2016, CPJ also released the report, Attacks on the Press: Gender and Media Freedom Worldwide. Amongst other things, the report delves into how online sexual harassment can often deter women journalists from participating in the media. In truth, sexual violence, in its many forms (physical or digital) is often used to silence women journalists. Some women journalists end up re-evaluating the types of beats they cover, some maintain low profiles, some delete their online social media accounts, some censor themselves, and some leave the profession entirely.

This panel will discuss how sexual violence is used to silence women journalists. The idea is that by the end of the discussion, there is a more concrete understanding of the scope of the issue, which will better inform the Committee and the public on how to respond to these threats moving forward.

Organised in association with the Committee to Protect Journalists.