Abstract
From the Caucasus to South America and the Middle East, journalists continue to face huge obstacles to get the story out. And for women journalists, says
When Azerbaijani investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova received an envelope containing explicit photographs of her having sex with her partner, the perpetrators – widely believed to be acting on behalf of President Ilham Aliyev’s regime – knew exactly what they were doing. In a country where traditional and religious values have enormous influence and honour killings take place, this attempt to blackmail Ismayilova, whose investigations into the business and political dealings of the Aliyev family and its cronies have been extensive, were meant to stop the journalist in her tracks. Instead, Ismayilova went public with the incident, and the crimes of the regime received wider public attention than it might have otherwise. A few days later, a sex video of Ismayilova and her boyfriend was posted online. Despite these overt attempts to silence her, she remained defiant, vowing to continue her radio programme and pursue her investigations.
Ismayilova’s story is a stark reminder of the obstacles and dangers women journalists face. From journalists covering protests in Egypt, Guinea and Bahrain to those reporting on sensitive news in Afghanistan and Colombia, threats of rape and violence are widespread; in some countries, including Iran and the Ivory Coast, women journalists report that sexual harassment is a regular occurrence. In addition to the intimidation, threats of arrest, violence and death that both male and female journalists face around the world, female reporters are subjected to additional attempts to stifle their work, based on their gender. Those with a vested interest in blocking vital news stories are often willing to exploit women’s physical vulnerability, traditional roles, and cultural constraints to do so. In a powerful account of her experience of intimidation published in Index, North Caucasus journalist Fatima Tlisova writes:
Two big men, whose faces I could not distinguish in the half-light, began to beat me with extreme force on the head, in my ribs and my stomach, without uttering a single word or making any unnecessary movements. Curiously enough, they seemed to realise that I would not make a sound because the door to my flat was only a few yards away and, if I did scream, my children, who were sitting peacefully watching TV, would be the first ones to hear me. I could not risk them coming running out and getting attacked too. So I kept quiet and I let them beat me, without putting up any resistance.
Tlisova was targeted for her work as a journalist, and one of the weapons her attackers used against her was her role as a mother. Working for a free speech organisation means these kinds of stories find their way to my desk regularly, and I never get used to reading them, and never quite fully accept the lengths that some people will go to in order to ensure their power remains intact. Recently, we received an update on the case of Mexican journalist Anabel Hernandez, who has received numerous death threats and continues to live in fear for her life – and the lives of her children – as a direct result of her reports on complicity between drug cartels and some government officials. It’s one of many accounts of the dangers of working in Mexico that echoes the story of Lydia Cacho, whose exposé of an international paedophile ring resulted in her being kidnapped, tortured and threatened with murder and rape. She continues to face threats.
A December 2013 report published by the International News Safety Institute (INSI) and International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) argues that “almost two-thirds of women journalists have experienced abuse and harassment”. The two organisations organise training for women journalists working in Cairo and elsewhere. As Afghan journalist Najiba Ayubi points out, in some parts of the world, society regards a working woman as controversial – so a woman taking on a career in journalism can be regarded with an enormous amount of scepticism and even derision. As Pakistani journalist Shumaila Jaffrey, who contributed to a book published by INSI and IWMF on women in journalism, has said, “being a woman journalist in Pakistan is in itself a great achievement”.
Though female journalists would reject any attempts to look at their work as in any way different from their male counterparts, it’s important to honour these tenacious, committed, inspiring and accomplished individuals – including those who have lost their lives and who face particular challenges because of their gender. For Fatima Tlisova, the experience of being targeted resulted in her becoming a “whole new person”. And it’s important to remind ourselves that our world would be a different place without them. Often used to working in extremely difficult circumstances, women journalists record some of the worse violations of human rights in the world, working tirelessly to get information out and pushing for its recognition on the international stage, whatever it takes. Women journalists are on the frontline when it comes to the battle to protect human rights, from the right to privacy, to the right to liberty and security, to the right to free expression.
