OSCE Media Freedom Representative calls on governments to step up efforts to effectively combat harassment of women journalists

NEW YORK, 15 March 2018 – Speaking at a panel on safety of female journalists at the United Nations Headquarters, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir underlined the link between safety of female journalists, plurality and democratic societies.

The event, held on the sidelines of the 62nd session of the Commission on the Status of Women, was organized by the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Recalling the murder of the investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in Malta last year, Désir said: “Before a journalist is murdered, he or she often receives threats, or is subjected to harassment – sometimes physically, and often psychologically. Women journalists face a double burden. They are attacked as journalists and attacked as women, just for having a voice and daring to use it in the public sphere.”

Underlining the need for government officials to take more responsibility for ensuring a climate of safety for journalists, he added: "No effective solution will be found if authorities fail to see the bigger impact of abuse and gender-based harassment: they distort the media landscape and threaten plurality and the future of the free press."

“The harassment of women journalists online has an impact on the public at large. It affects the kinds of voices we hear, the stories we read, and ultimately the freedom and quality of the societies we live in. There is no such thing as freedom of expression if it is the privilege of some, with the exclusion of others. Freedom can only be inclusive. For all,” Désir emphasized.

The Representative will also meet with members of civil society and partner organizations during his trip to New York.

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media observes media developments in all 57 OSCE participating States. He provides early warning on violations of freedom of expression and media freedom and promotes full compliance with OSCE media freedom commitments. Learn more at www.osce.org/fom, Twitter: @OSCE_RFoM and on www.facebook.com/osce.rfom.