To mark the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists on 2 November, ARTICLE 19 highlights the increasingly prevalent and deeply concerning trend of tech-facilitated gender-based abuse and harassment against women journalists. We urge states to take proactive measures to end impunity for crimes against journalists and uphold their obligations under international human rights law, as this remains a critical and growing problem globally. More specifically, we also call on states to adopt intersectional gender approaches to any efforts to ensure women journalists are free from tech-facilitated gender-based violence for engaging in journalistic work. Attention should also be put on the role of private companies who often fail to uphold their human rights responsibilities when their products put women journalists at risk.
ARTICLE 19 welcomes this year’s theme ‘Chat GBV: Raising Awareness on AI-facilitated Gender-Based Violence against Women Journalists.’ The theme brings much-needed attention to the gender-based harassment and abuse that women journalists face online, and which often converges with offline attacks; abuse which results from both women’s journalistic activities and structural discrimination in society.
Through our project Equally Safe: Toward a feminist approach to the safety of journalists, ARTICLE 19 has highlighted and provided guidance on how to respond to the unique and gendered risks, threats, and violence that women journalists face. These dangers disproportionately silence women journalists and result in a broader chilling effect for all women in the media ecosystem – having devastating impacts for freedom of expression, media freedom and gender equality. The threats and risks women journalists face are disproportionate because they stem from stereotypes, prejudice and exclusion that persists in newsrooms, the media ecosystem, and society at large. Those risks are further amplified and exploited online. Impunity for gender-based violence makes the challenge even more pressing.
‘The existence of multiple forms and vectors of violence against women journalists, including online violence, creates zones of silence.’ Analy Nuño, independent journalist, during a panel on mainstreaming intersectional gender approaches to the safety of journalists at the 59th session of the Human Rights Council
A wealth of research demonstrates the extent – and chilling effects – of online harassment and abuse against women journalists. A 2021 study found that 73% of women journalists had faced online violence, 25% of which involved physical threats (including death and rape threats). ARTICLE 19’s reports and activities under Equally Safe confirm that online attacks against women media workers are often sexualised, make frequent references and threats to personal and family relationships, and focus on women’s appearance and intellectual capability, rather than engaging with their actual work and ideas. The consequences are grave, ranging from physical attacks following online abuse, to physical, mental, and emotional trauma following online harassment. As a result, women journalists continue to leave the journalistic work or avoid covering stories that could put them and their families at risk. Those who decide to take the risk are forced to invest a wealth of time and resources in their physical and digital safety, often without appropriate support from authorities. It is civil society and communities of women who often provide efficient support, one that responds to their unique needs, and respects women’s rights and experiences.
‘In the favelas, our community takes matters into our own hands. The support networks we created locally and the groups we bring together – from lawyers and social movements to human rights defenders – are our strength and the way we protect ourselves.’ Gizele Martins, activist and social communicator, 2025 World Press Freedom Day
Impunity for online abuse and harassment that put women journalists at risk is the norm around the world. On the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, ARTICLE 19 highlights that women journalists who face online gender-based harassment and abuse must have access to legal avenues for accessing justice, redress and reparation in line with their human rights to freedom of expression, access to justice, equality and non-discrimination. Currently, too many women journalists face multiple challenges in accessing justice and enjoying redress: including victim blaming by law enforcement authorities deterring reporting; digital threats being perceived as less or no risk by authorities, tech companies and newsrooms; insufficient or broad laws that fail to address the issues and to comply with freedom of expression standards; or lack of cooperation and clear avenues for redress from tech companies, among many others.
Patterns of tech-facilitated gender-based violence continue to evolve and become more sophisticated with advancing technological capabilities, further complicating investigations and access to other legal avenues. This is the case of generative AI which presents new, existential challenges to diverse and plural public debate, one that flourishes with women’s views, viewpoints, and contributions. Challenges include the mass production and circulation of abusive AI-generated materials that harass women by depicting them in sexual and violent images or videos without their consent.
While tech-facilitated abuse has evolved into new and graphic iterations, it is rooted in the same discrimination and misogyny that has fuelled other forms of online harassment that drive women journalists out of public spaces and debate.
Though intersectional gender gaps persist in legal frameworks, some legal responses and mechanisms exist to address harassment against women journalists. Yet, they are severely underutilised, leaving women journalists fighting a losing battle to access justice.
Tackling impunity for tech-facilitated gender-based harassment is a priority for ARTICLE 19 and it should be a core element of the international, regional and national plans on the Safety of Journalists.
In a forthcoming briefing from ARTICLE 19, coinciding with the 16 Days of Activism to End Gender-based Violence, we outline the existing international standards and guidance on investigating tech-facilitated violence against women journalists. While additional resources and mechanisms are needed to ensure that authorities carry out investigations effectively and with an intersectional gender approach, existing freedom of expression and anti-discrimination frameworks – including civil, administrative, and criminal law – provide pathways for accessing justice and redress. Importantly, the briefing also examines how authorities should approach investigations as a means of protecting the right to freedom of expression for women journalists.
Abuse, harassment, and violence against women journalists is a freedom of expression concern – whether it occurs offline or online. ARTICLE 19 urges states to uphold their human rights obligations to ensuring the right to freedom of expression, access to justice, non-discrimination and equality, and to ensure investigations into tech-facilitated gender-based violence for where these legal frameworks overlap.
To guarantee women journalists are safe when conducting their work, authorities must take an intersectional gendered approach to any investigations into online harassment and abuse: one that considers gender alongside discrimination based on other protected characteristics like race, sexuality, religion, and disability.