A/HRC/44/52 19. Gender-based violence against women is a global plague that affects one in three women worldwide in their lifetime and, as such, creates a culture of normalization and tolerance of such violence in society, which means that women journalists and media workers are operating in an environment whereby systematic and structural gender-based violence forms part of their daily routine. They are subjected to different forms of genderbased violence, including rape and sexual harassment in the newsroom and in the field, and other forms of intimidation, including threats to their family. Women journalists reporting on protests and riots are at ever-increasing risk of sexual attacks, with many having experienced groping and sexual harassment, yet only a few have come forward to report their ordeal. Those reporting on feminist issues are also threatened for the type of stories they cover, which are often stories that have contributed to a change in attitude leading to public rejection of gender-based violence as a human rights violation. 20. In 2016 and 2017, Reporters without Borders registered more than 60 cases in more than 20 countries of the rights of journalists being violated in connection with reporting on the condition of women. Almost 90 cases have been registered since 2012. Those cases included murder, imprisonment, verbal attacks, physical attacks and online aggression. Cyberharassment represents more than 40 per cent of the cases registered. 21. The rise of popular movements, such as #MeToo, #NiUnaMenos and their various manifestations across the world, have highlighted sexual harassment and other forms of gender-based violence, including the rampant sexism and discriminatory practices that pervade the newsroom. Highly visible court trials against some of the perpetrators, which have resulted in lengthy prison sentences, demonstrate the importance of such movements in prosecuting cases of gender-based violence. They have also demonstrated the change in attitude of some prosecutors and the judiciary, especially in those trials involving a jury, which had the potential to reflect changes in societal attitudes. While such cases are the exception rather than the rule, owing to the rigid criminal justice systems in many States, they nevertheless represent a positive step in the right direction that should serve as an example of good practice to be followed. 22. Online and offline harassment and abuse of women journalists is reflective of broader issues of sexism in society. In the online sphere, harassment can have significant consequences, leading to self-censorship in response to online abuse. The failure to address and reprehend online threats can be fatal, as is demonstrated by attacks on and murders of women journalists that were preceded by online hate campaigns and threats. In response to persecution, some women reporters have had no choice but to drop investigative work, avoid reporting on certain subjects, or abandon their profession altogether. According to a 2018 global survey of nearly 600 women journalists carried out by the International Women’s Media Foundation, of the women who had experienced threats and attacks, nearly 30 per cent had considered leaving the profession as a result, while nearly 40 per cent admitted that they had avoided reporting on certain subjects as a result.13 A. Femicide, rape and sexual violence against women journalists 23. Since 1992, 96 women journalists have been killed, comprising approximately 7 per cent of all slain journalists. Sixty-eight of those women were targeted and assassinated in direct connection with their work. 14 The last decade has witnessed a steady rise in such cases against women journalists, with 70 killed since 2010.15 In 2017, the Committee to Protect Journalists found that at least 72 journalists and media workers were killed in the line of duty, 10 of whom were women. 16 Recent statistics suggest that in 2019, 5 out of a total of 57 journalists killed were women. 17 The number of women journalists killed is 13 14 15 16 17 6 See International Women’s Media Foundation and Troll-Busters.com, “Attacks and harassment. The impact on female journalists and their reporting” (2018), p. 44. See Committee to Protect Journalists data on journalists killed since 1992. See UNESCO observatory of killed journalists. See https://cpj.org/events/2018/03/women-in-journalism-unique-perspective-unique-threats.php. See UNESCO observatory of killed journalists.