A/HRC/16/44 criminalization and physical violence. As part of this group, medical and health professionals, by providing sexual and reproductive health services, ensure that women can exercise their reproductive rights. In certain countries, these health professionals, as a result of their work, are regularly targeted and suffer harassment, intimidation and physical violence. In some countries, these attacks perpetrated by non-State actors have led to killings and attempted killings of medical professionals. 46. A specific group that also appears to be at particular risk is that formed by women working in the legal profession, including lawyers, judges and paralegals. Between 2004 and 2009, the mandate sent 81 communications regarding the situation of women defenders from these professional categories. Women defenders with this profile appear to be more affected in certain countries, notably the Islamic Republic of Iran (nine communications), Colombia (eight communications), China (eight communications), the Russian Federation (seven communications) and Tunisia (six communications). 47. Women journalists and media professionals working on human rights issues also appear to be exposed to risk as a result of their work. This group includes women investigative journalists working on human-rights related issues, women columnists advocating human rights reform, women reporters monitoring and reporting violations of human rights, and women bloggers. The mandate sent communications about 70 cases concerning this category during the six-year period. In certain countries, a large proportion of communications sent concerned women working as journalists or who were engaged in other media-related activities. Women working as journalists were also the subject of various communications sent to, inter alia, Tunisia (seven communications), Colombia (seven communications), the Islamic Republic of Iran (seven communications), Belarus (five communications) and the Russian Federation (five communications). 48. The mandate also sent 64 communications concerning the situation of women defenders working on issues of impunity and access to justice, including witnesses and victims of human rights violations seeking redress, as well as the lawyers, individuals and organizations representing or supporting them. This group seems to be particularly at risk in certain countries in Europe, Central Asia and the Americas. Over half of the communications in this regard were sent to the Russian Federation (15 cases), Colombia (14 cases) and Mexico (nine cases). 49. The mandate also sent 58 communications regarding cases of women defenders and those working on women’s rights or gender issues denouncing abuses in contexts of military conflict, counter-terrorism and other situations of widespread violence. This group includes defenders working in conflict-affected countries and regions such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Sudan, Colombia, the North Caucasus, and postconflict situations such as in the Balkan countries (most notably Serbia) and Nepal. This group includes those monitoring and reporting violations, providing of aid and assistance to victims, addressing the gender dimensions of conflict, and combating impunity, including by bringing cases before international bodies such as the International Court of Justice and European Court of Human Rights. 50. From 2004 to 2009, the mandate also sent 42 communications concerning women defenders working on often overlapping human rights issues related to imprisonment, including political prisoners, the death penalty, and the alleged prevalence of the practice of torture or ill-treatment. 51. Women working in trade unions, and other labour rights activists also appear to be exposed to regular violations and severe risks as a result of their work, although it appears that this is so in certain regions more than in others. This group was the subject of 40 communications sent by the mandate, including six communications regarding alleged violations against female relatives and partners of male trade unionists and labour rights 10