From bustling newsrooms to conflict zones, women in journalism are increasingly becoming targets of harassment, intimidation and violence, and ironically they are victims not for falsifying stories or flouting ethics, but simply because they are honestly doing their jobs. Their gender often makes them more vulnerable as these journos are often exposed to a specific kind of threat that male counterparts rarely face.
Take for example the cases in India where female journalists continue to face disturbing threats and violence. In a very disturbing case ,a woman journalist in Delhi accused an Uber driver of sexual harassment. According to her complaint, the driver was staring at her breasts through the side mirror. When she shifted her seat to the other side, he began looking through the opposite mirror and eventually started turning back repeatedly to stare at her. The incident occurred around 4:40 PM and was later reported to police. Later, the accused was arrested following her complaint. The Delhi Women’s Commission also issued a notice to the police and the cab service provider.
In another shocking case, a 22-year-old female photojournalist was gang-raped by five men in Mumbai while on assignment. The assault took place in the abandoned Shakti Mills compound. She was accompanied by a male colleague who was beaten up during the attack. The victim, who was an intern with an English magazine, was taken to Jaslok Hospital with multiple internal and external injuries. Mumbai Police later arrested one suspect. The brutal crime though sparked widespread protests in the city and across India but it could not deter the ruffians who are still present every nook and corner of the society.
One more shocking, on camera incident, in Delhi involved Aaj Tak correspondent Anjana Kashyap. Anjana was subjected to eve-teasing by three men in a moving car near the AIIMS flyover as she was reporting. The men passed lewd comments while driving past her in a public area, highlighting how unsafe even prominent journalists are even in front of camera.
From India if we go to its adjoining country Pakistan we find one incident which speaks volume of the harsh predicament of these press people. Journalist Gharidah Farooqi from Pakistan faced relentless online harassment for merely doing her job. In 2019, she tweeted a report that the Christchurch mosque shooter had previously visited Pakistan. Though she was sharing verified information but many fringe elements accused her of defaming the country. And the backlash that followed was severe. The online mobs called for her abduction, rape, and even murder. Farooqi received hundreds of threats, which forced her to be into semi-seclusion state for nearly four months and she was left with no other option than to just leave her home only for work.
Though, International organizations including the Committee to Protect Journalists, Amnesty International, and Digital Rights Foundation condemned the harassment and extended their moral support yet the abuse continued. To make it worse, in April 2022, a PTI supporter at a political rally was seen carrying a banner with a veiled rape threat against her. In August 2022, Farooqi was again targeted with organized online trolling, allegedly by PTI-linked social media accounts. And, all blamed her for bringing a lot of bad name to Pakistan, a country which itself is battling to get a good name is often doubted as being the centre of terrorism.
Across the world, the picture is no different either. In Egypt, senior CBS News correspondent Lara Logan suffered one of the most harrowing experiences a journalist has ever publicly faced. On the night of February 11, 2011 -- the night the Hosni Mubarak regime fell -- Logan was in Cairo’s Tahrir Square to report the incident, which was for a special programmer titled ''60 Minutes''. But amidst the celebration, she was separated from her crew and attacked by a mob of around 200-300 men.
The frenzy crowd tore off her clothes, groped her, and raped her with their hands in what she described as a ''brutal and sustained sexual assault''. Logan recounted that she felt her underwear being ripped away and she could see the flashes from cell phone cameras as men took photos during the assault. Her colleague and others to help her in the assignment though tried to protect her, but were pulled away by the crowd.
Ironically, for Logan who was there for her special ''60 Minutes'' assignment, about 25 minutes became extremely unbearable situation. During that, Logan endured relentless physical and sexual violence until a group of women and approximately 20 soldiers rescued her. Eventually, she was hospitalized upon returning to the her country USA. Later she recounted the details to break the ''code of silence'', a tacit approval from all the females who generally remain quiet and never dare to share their ordeal of sexual violence.
The attack prompted CBS to issue a rare statement, acknowledging the sustained sexual assault. Jeff Fager, CBS News executive producer, stressed the importance of shedding light on such issues, something which is often kept quiet. What was remarkable was Logan's willingness to share her experience as by talking about her abuse she gave a voice to a broader issue that female journalists in the field of media face a unique danger, especially in volatile environments, which their male counterparts actually never face.
In another case of brutality, during the post-election celebrations in Cairo on June 24, 2012, British journalism student Natasha Smith was brutally sexually assaulted by a mob in Tahrir Square. The 21-year-old, who was filming a documentary on women's rights and the Egyptian revolution, was cornered by a large crowd of men who tore off her clothes, groped, and violently assaulted her. Despite her screams, no one intervened until a group of women and two men came to her rescue, covering her and helping her escape. Smith later described the attack as a terrifying ordeal.
In another shocking incident, FRANCE 24 journalist Sonia Dridi was assaulted while she was reporting on a protest in the capital Cairo’s Tahrir Square. Dridi had just finished giving a live news report when a crowd of men gathered around her and they started shoving and groping her body.
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But these are dangers that often come from unknown crowds. What makes it even more painful is when threats and exploitation emerge from within the very institutions meant to support them. Female journalists frequently face sexual harassment from male colleagues, editors, and senior professionals within their own workplaces.
One of the most high-profile examples in India was the case of M.J. Akbar, a former Minister of State for External Affairs and a veteran journalist. Akbar was accused by multiple women journalists of sexual harassment during his time as an editor. The allegations ranged from inappropriate messages to propositions for sexual favors in exchange for career advancement. Following public pressure and multiple testimonies, Akbar was forced to resign from his ministerial post in 2018.
The trauma of such attacks and incidents run deep. Logan emphasized how the emotional and psychological scars far outlast the physical ones. Unlike a visible injury, the wounds of sexual assault often remain hidden, leading victims to carry their burden in silence. Her story resonated across the globe, and other female journalists also began to speak out about similar incidents of harassment and assault.
These examples -- from the streets of Delhi and Mumbai to the rallies of Pakistan and the revolution in Cairo -- expose a harsh truth that women who are supposed to be the voice of the voiceless often are targeted while actually they are doing their jo. Whether it's online trolling, physical assault, or brutal sexual violence, the risks are high and often these helpless suffer in silence.
These harrowing accounts underscore an urgent need to reexamine how the world views and protects female journalists. They are not just bearers of news but bearers of trauma too. It is time for media institutions, governments, and civil society to confront this reality head-on and ensure that women in journalism are not forced to choose between telling the truth and safeguarding their lives. And silence is is definitely not the solution in these cases. The more we are vocal the better it is.
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