Location: Pakistan, Lahore     
Date: June 6, 2022

Saba Bajeer, a reporter with local broadcaster 24 News HD, was setting up equipment to report live from a recent political rally in Islamabad, when a young man approached her and told her to look into the camera for a Tik Tok video he was recording. Saba told him to stop and he laughed and went away. A doctored video clip of her was later posted online subjecting the journalist to vile and sexist abuse by internet trolls. The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the physical and sexual harassment of the journalist. We call for immediate action from the relevant authorities, who have yet to take action on the journalist’s complaint. 

In a video statement shared on Twitter, Saba recounted how her video was recorded non-consensually. On May 24, a day ahead of former prime minister Imran Khan’s intended long march to Islamabad against his dismissal, the journalist was setting up equipment at D-Chowk, where Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party was expected to gather. A young man approached her and asked her to look into the camera for a Tik Tok. She said no and the man went away. An edited version of the video recorded without her consent was later posted on Tik Tok and has now racked up 500,000 views. 

In her statement, Saba said she went to the Federal Investigative Authority’s cybercrime wing to report the incident but was snubbed by officials there. “So what if this video of yours has been posted?” said one officer, recounted Saba. The journalist stressed that she is entitled to privacy even if she is a TV reporter. That’s her job but this video was filmed and posted non-consensually, she said, calling for support.

“I was on the field reporting in the area where ex-prime minister Imran Khan called for his Long March. There were volunteers setting up when I was asked by a young man to look in the camera,” Saba told the CFWIJ recounting the incident. “Now, we get filmed non-consensually like this all the time and we have to continuously tell the people filming us not to do that. I told off the young man and thought he had deleted the video. But he posted it in slow-motion, resulting in thousands of views and an onslaught of internet trolls.”

A quick search on the content creator who shared the video revealed that he has a pattern of posting videos like these of women journalists in the field. 

Saba told the CFWIJ that she first tried to lodge her complaint online with the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) but the system was down and she could not file her complaint. She then went to the FIA and asked for her complaint to be filed. “There was a woman sitting at the desk and she said, ‘So what if your video was posted online?’” 

“I asked another employee who knew I was a reporter and he said to give the videos in a USB and he will file an FIR on my behalf. When the woman was asked why she did not follow up my case, she got really upset saying that she is overburdened and has so many cases to deal with.” 

Understaffing and following up on complaints is a major issue in Pakistani government offices. That combined with a lax attitude towards women’s online safety results in serious cases of online harassment being dismissed on grounds that “it is just a video.” If this incident was not enough, the journalist was also subjected to vile, gendered abuse by online trolls once the video was up. 

“It has been two weeks since I filed my complaint and there has been no update,” said Saba. “I come from a conservative region on the Sindh border and so far family members from my village have sent me how the video has been shared with derogatory songs put in them. At first I wasn’t reading the comments but when I look at some of them they cause me so much distress.”

Saba further added that so many women, who are mothers, sisters, daughters and professionals, come to report cases of online harassment. If someone like her cannot get justice then it is only a dismal picture for women less privileged than her.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism strongly condemns the harassment Saba Bajeer was subjected to on field. Her case points to a larger structural problem of indifference towards gendered abuse and violations faced by women journalists on the job. We extend complete support to Saba and call on the authorities to take immediate action against the perpetrator. Women journalists in Pakistan have been frequently subjected to online attacks and organized trolling by elements troubled by their reporting. The CFWIJ has repeatedly highlighted this issue and reiterates its call for better mechanisms of support to address such complaints. Read more about our detailed coverage of violations again women journalists in Pakistan here. 

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.

If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.