Women and LGBTQI journalists work in unsafe and unsupportive environments that fail to enable them to carry out their duties without fear of violence or intimidation, according to Coalition For Women in Journalism (CFWIJ).
The CFWIJ is a New York-based non-profit organisation that advocates and supports women and LGBTQI journalists around the world.
According to statistics released by the CFWIJ, at least 100 women journalists spent the first quarter of 2023 behind bars, four less than in the first quarter of the previous year.
“Although there is a small decline in imprisoned women journalists, the number should be zero,” said the organisation.
It expressed concern that physical and legal harassment against women journalists continue to skyrocket compared to the first quarter of 2022.
“There are 100 women journalists who went to prison, 24 physically assaulted women journalists and 23 are victims of harassment.
“More needs to be done to ensure that women and LGBTQI journalists can work in a safe and supportive environment that enables them to carry out their duties without fear of violence or intimidation.”
The CFWIJ revealed that Chinese-Australian journalist Cheng Lei has been held without access to legal counsel since 2020.
The organisation said Lei has not had one phone call with her family and her children since her detention.
“Lei, a former TV anchor, has been detained in China for more than two-and-a-half years on national security charges.
“Her trial was held behind closed doors in Beijing on March 2022, and she has been under residential surveillance since her detention by Chinese authorities on August 2020 on suspicion of illegally supplying state secrets.”
In May 2022, Reggy Moalusi, the executive director at the South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef), said the harassment of woman journalists in South Africa is also increasing.
“Sanef knows of at least 59 separate incidents where journalists have been attacked either verbally or physically while working,” said Moalusi.
The attacks have all happened in the last five years and the main perpetrators, the organisation said, “are the South African Police Service, political parties and their supporters, criminals, and communities on which reporting was focused”.
Follow @SundayWorldZA on Twitter and @sundayworldza on Instagram, or like our Facebook Page, Sunday World, by clicking here for the latest breaking news in South Africa.
