#JournalistsToo: Women Journalists Speak Out - A Collection of Essays on Personal Experiences with Harassment

"It is unacceptable that women journalists are attacked and abused for doing their job. It is intolerable that it happens with impunity. It is high time we listen to the voices of the women themselves."

This publication highlights how acts and threats of violence are being used to silence women journalists. Through a collection of 11 personal essays by female journalists from around the world, the publication illustrates the different forms of harassment and violence endured by women journalists online and offline. Published by Irene Khan, Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression, the publication aims to raise public awareness about the pervasiveness and complexity of the issue and its stifling effect on freedom of expression and diversity in the media sector.

Following on from forewords by Irene Khan and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Goodwill Ambassador for Freedom of Expression and Journalist Safety Christine Amanpour, the publication includes the following essays:

• Boarding the Submarine by Martha Mukaiwa (Namibia)
• Hatemail in the Public Eye by Sally Kohn (United States)
• Evil Women Stick Their Necks Out by Neha Dixit (India)
• The Harassment Networks by Adela Navarro Bello (Mexico)
• When the Twitter Mob Came for Me by Anonymous
• A Shadow Over the Island of Solidarity by Anthi Pazianou (Greece)
• A Traitor That Never Was by Arzu Geybulla (Azerbaijan)
• Transforming the Pain by Jineth Bedoya Lima (Colombia)
• Backing Off is Not an Option by Diana Moukalled (Lebanon)
• Brazilian Women Journalists Against Harassment: A Collective Struggle by Janaina Garcia (Brazil)

These stories tell of the daily challenges journalists face from family, communities, employers, officials, and the general public. They describe the threats and attacks to which they are subjected in the course of their work - ranging from rape, sexual assault, death and rape threats, and sexual harassment to trolling, gendered hate speech, disinformation, smear campaigns, and threats to family members. The perpetrators are multiple and include state agents, politicians and non-state actors, sources, interviewees, employers, and male journalists with whom the women are obliged to work. The essays highlight how sexism and misogyny intersect with other forms of discrimination, such as homophobia, racism, and religious bigotry. Several of the essays also talk about potential solutions and tools that seek to address the issue.

As Irene Khan explains, "These personal essays are not the stories of victims. They are testimonies of courage, resilience and solidarity, of defiance against gender stereotypes and the agency of women who refuse to shut up or be shut out. Through their courageous testimonies they tell us of the difficulties, problems and personal tragedies they have been forced to face in their careers. But they also tell us stories of resistance, of fighting back, of unity and solidarity."