The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) Gender Council has raised serious concerns over an increase in sexist and gender-based attacks against women journalists across the world, calling on media organisations and Governments to strengthen measures protecting women working in journalism.
The Council said women journalists are increasingly confronted with physical attacks, workplace harassment, sexist remarks, intimidation and organized online abuse because of both their profession and gender.
According to the IFJ, reports from several countries indicate that gender-based hostility against women journalists has become a growing threat to their safety, professional independence and ability to report freely on matters of public interest.
The warning forms part of the Gender Council’s wider effort to tackle harassment and violence against women journalists, with gender-based harassment identified as a priority under its 2026-2029 strategy.
The Council is advocating a zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment and gender-based discrimination in newsrooms, journalists’ unions, online platforms and the field.
Recent cases highlighted by the IFJ demonstrate the different forms of hostility women journalists continue to encounter while carrying out their professional duties.
In India, several women journalists covering protests at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi in July reportedly faced physical attacks, inappropriate contact and harassment while attempting to report on events. The IFJ described India as having reached a critical point during 2025-2026 regarding attacks against women journalists.
Workplace harassment has also emerged as a major concern.
In Cambodia, a journalist working for a local English-language newspaper reported experiencing physical and verbal sexual harassment at her workplace dating back to 2023. Despite complaints to the organization’s human resources department, the matter reportedly remained unresolved.
Another journalist in Cambodia said she was prevented from entering a Government Ministry in Phnom Penh in March 2025 because of her religious attire. According to the account cited by the IFJ, the Muslim television journalist was asked by a security guard to remove her headscarf before she could enter the Ministry to cover a news event.
Similar concerns have been reported elsewhere.
In Uruguay, incidents involving women working in the media triggered public condemnation after sexist and offensive remarks were made during broadcast programmes.
The IFJ also highlighted a case in Spain where media professionals gathered outside a court in Seville in July in solidarity with a female colleague who accused a former media executive of sexual and workplace harassment.
In Italy, an investigation conducted by IrpiMedia with support from the National Federation of the Italian Press gathered testimonies from 100 journalists who reported experiencing different forms of violence and sexism, including bullying, sexual harassment and other serious abuses.
Beyond traditional workplace and field-related threats, the IFJ Gender Council warned that online harassment is becoming increasingly organized and sophisticated.
The Council said attacks have evolved from individual trolling into systematic campaigns intended to threaten women journalists, undermine their professional credibility and pressure them into self-censorship.
Artificial intelligence has added another troubling dimension, with manipulated photographs, deepfakes and other fabricated material increasingly capable of being used to target women journalists.
In Panama, journalist, Sol Lauría Paz, was reportedly subjected to an organized harassment campaign following an investigation into online violence linked to debate surrounding the Cobre Panamá mine. According to the IFJ, the attacks included threats, publication of personal information, insults and AI manipulation of her image.
The Council warned that such attacks can have consequences extending beyond social media, potentially affecting journalists’ physical security, reputations and willingness to continue reporting on controversial subjects.
Against this background, the IFJ Gender Council is calling for stronger enforcement of national and international laws intended to prevent and punish violence and harassment against women journalists.
It also wants media organisations to establish safer workplaces for women, both within newsrooms and while journalists are reporting in the field, particularly during demonstrations, conflicts and other potentially dangerous assignments.
The Council further called for women journalists to have greater opportunities to occupy management and decision-making positions based on merit and professional competence.
It also urged stronger mechanisms to identify those responsible for online threats and abuse and called for appropriate regulation of artificial intelligence to prevent its malicious use in spreading disinformation, damaging reputations and silencing women journalists.
The IFJ maintains that protecting women journalists is not simply an issue of workplace equality but an important press freedom concern.
When intimidation, harassment and gender-based violence force journalists to abandon assignments, withdraw from public debate or practise self-censorship, the consequences extend beyond individual victims and can undermine the public’s access to independent information.
The Gender Council is therefore urging governments, media owners, journalists’ organisations and other stakeholders to treat the safety of women journalists as a priority and establish effective reporting, investigation and accountability mechanisms.
