Dear affiliatesNearly 1 in 3 women have been abused. In journalism, almost 1 in 2 women have suffered sexual harassment, psychological abuse, online trolling and others forms of gender-based violence (GBV) while working.
These acts of violence are not only aimed at intimidating and silencing women in the media, but their chilling effects contribute to killing stories and depriving the public of information, thereby undermining pluralism and the right to access information.
To mark International Day for the Elimination of violence against women on 25 November, the IFJ, and its Gender Council will focus on violence online as part of the IFJ’s ongoing campaign #YouAreNotAlone under the headline “Online Harassment: We Need to Talk”.
It is time for the media and unions to denounce ALL acts of online abuse publicly.
It is urgent for legislators to make online abuse a health and safety issue. This can be done by governments implementing ILO Convention C190 on harassment and violence in the world of work urgently.
Media employers have a duty to ensure a safe workplace and provide a solid mechanism for women to come forward and be protected when subjected to online abuse.
No woman journalists should be facing online abuse. And none should be facing it alone.
This year, the IFJ will
– On 22 november @ 10 am CET: Organise a conference, together with its Gender Council – Women in the unions: Building power, fighting for safety
– From 21 November, share interviews with journalists highlighting what unions can do to fight online abuse
– From 25 November, join the Global Unions Federations, the UN and UN Women for 16 days of activism
Take action
1. Get informed
Take part in the IFJ Gender Council Conference on Women in Unions: Building power, fighting for safety – register and invite your members to join
2. Spread the word
Share and use IFJ data on online abuse of women journalists, guidelines for media and unions, 2022 testimonials and follow us on Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram using #STOPGBV #YouAreNotAlone
3. Participate in UN 16 days of activism
Join the UN’s 16 days of activism – starting on 25 November and ending on 10 December – by sharing data, testimonials or visuals on online abuse using #YouAreNotAlone #GenerationEquality #orangetheworld #16days and #spreadtheword
4. Support the ratification of ILO Convention C190 on harassment and violence at work
Talk to your government on the importance of ratifying this convention, using our key points and #RatifyC190 in your social media
Key messages:
Online abuse of journalists is a health and safety issue #RatifyC190
Media employers have a duty to ensure a safe workplace and provide a solid mechanism for women journalists to come forward #RatifyC190
No impunity for online abuse #RatifyC190
4. Use our campaign visual widely (attached)
