International day for the elimination of violence against women

Mindy Ran
Co-Chair
IFJ Gender Council

When we speak, each year, of violence against women journalists, we must take into account that women journalists are threatened, attacked, bullied, harassed, raped and sometimes killed for being women, for being journalists and sometimes, for being women journalists.

As women, 70% of us will experience violence in our lifetime, a human rights violation and, according to the UN "a consequence of discrimination against women, in law and also in practice, and of persisting inequalities between men and women."

As journalists, with more and more women entering the profession, we have discovered that they - more often their male colleagues, are the subject of threats, harassment, violence and rape used as a tool to silence their voice. Sometimes it is by corrupt governments, sometimes the harassment is on the job and is aimed at removing them from the workforce. Sometimes, they are attacked or raped for doing their job. Loe edasi

, a human rights violation and, according to the UN 'a consequence of discrimination against women, in law and also in practice, and of persisting inequalities between men and women'."