‘I get so many threats’: the woman standing up for female journalists against increasing repression | Women in journalism

FFor years, Kiran Nazish worked as a journalist in conflict zones around the world, and she saw how the female reporters around her had to fight against all odds to build their careers, get support and stay safe.

In Mexico, female journalists told Nazish that they had been blackmailed by their bosses into sexual cooperation or else be demoted. While working on the front lines in conflict zones, Nazish was asked by male colleagues, “Why are you here? Go back to Pakistan.”

When Nazish collapsed and was hospitalized in 2015 after reporting on the rise of the Islamic State in Iraq, she knew she had to do something.

“I realized I had a great career, with support, and if I was on my deathbed there, what would it be like for women who didn’t have the same opportunities?” she says.

In 2017, after her recovery, Nazish launched a mentorship program for female journalists and the Coalition for Women in Journalism (CFWIJ) was born.

The CFWIJ, the first global female-led mentorship program to support women in journalism around the world, was a success, bringing together hundreds of young reporters from different countries with some of the most experienced and celebrated women in journalism and broadcasting.

As the work progressed, however, Nazish and her colleagues found that many of the people they were mentoring were increasingly subjected to repression and attacks. They were harassed, made to feel suffocated, and even imprisoned and deported.

“Women were targeted for crimes and detained, but no one documented it,” Nazish says.

The coalition therefore did a pivot and launched the Press Freedom Initiative, now called Women Press Freedom, to document “any attack, threat or violation of press freedom” faced by female or LGBTQ journalists.

Since she began recording the data, Nazish says the number of press freedom violations against women journalists has continued to rise. In the past few years, she says, it’s reached a crisis point. Last year, a survey of women journalists found that 75% had experienced a threat to their safety, while 25% said they had experienced sexual violence or harassment in connection with their work.

“Every day we register about five new names, five new journalists who are being jailed or targeted,” she says. “The detention of women journalists has increased dramatically; Slapp cases – basically false lawsuits to silence journalists – have increased dramatically; transnational repression has increased dramatically,” she says.

Attacks often take place at the state level in countries where women are seen as “easy targets,” such as Lebanon, Egypt, Turkey, Pakistan, India and Hungary, Nazish says, but also by groups such as drug cartels and the far-right.

In July, CFWIJ documented 83 violations, including the disappearance of Fabiola Tercero in Nicaragua after a police raid on her home, and the death sentence of Pakhshan Azizi by Iran. Many cases are not made public and remain confidential to protect those at risk. CFWIJ says that as of July 30, there are 89 female journalists behind bars, 17 of whom will be incarcerated by 2024.

In addition to reporting, CFWIJ now also arranges emergency support for people in danger, such as relocating journalists to other countries, finding safe houses and providing legal support. The organization has provided crisis support to over 1,000 journalists and has advocated for over 3,000 journalists.

Last year, the coalition also helped a Belarusian journalist flee her country after being jailed three times by Alexander Lukashenko’s regime. “She had to escape in the middle of the night. She had a son and a sick mother, they both had to be left behind,” Nazish said. “But we thought she could be taken again, we had to get her out.”

In January, the organization also stood up for journalist Brandi Morin, who was arrested by Canadian police while documenting a raid on an Indigenous homeless camp.

The reporter was held for five hours and charged with obstruction—charges that lasted nearly two months. The CFWIJ helped Morin by organizing campaigns and pressuring officials. “It was a dark experience. Being held and charged takes away all your power. After my release, I fell into a depression and wondered if I wanted to do this work,” Morin says. “But the coalition supported me.”

The coalition’s work has also led to Nazish and her colleagues becoming targets.

“I’ve been threatened – I get so many threats. Sometimes it can be really alarming,” says Nazish. “We’re dealing with violence all day long – human psychology is affected, sometimes it can take a toll.”

But the coalition continues its fight. In recent weeks, there has been cause for celebration, with the release of journalist Alsu Kurmasheva in the US-Russia prisoner swap. “We have been working on this for a long time. We went to the White House, we did a lot of back-end advocacy work,” says Nazish.

The next goal is to expand the work that began during the evacuation in Afghanistan by obtaining pre-arranged visas from governments for those whose lives have been threatened. “Women journalists risk their lives every day to cover important stories,” says Nazish. “We want safer places for these women to live, where they can continue their work with dignity and freedom.”