Press Freedom Day For Women Journalists In Turkey
Location: Turkey
Date: July 18, 2019Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
In Turkey, women journalists are silenced by unprecedented threats and imprisonments. On Press Freedom Day 2019, we honor and celebrate the contributions of women journalists around the world, including Turkey.
On this important day of media freedom we want to highlight the increasing dangers women journalists are facing in what is becoming a damagingly censored environment for press in general. In the last one year we have seen a particular intensity in the crackdown against women journalists who have challenges authority or spoken in favor of the opposition.
This press freedom day comes at a difficult week for journalists in Turkey when the news of 14 local journalists from Cumhuriyet newspaper being sent to prison has primed the coverage. The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns threats, attacks and limitations towards all journalists. We especially note that women journalists are being targeted here more aggressively.
From our networks we have learnt about various kinds of attacks women journalists face in the country, that particularly and directly warrant as censorship. This in addition to culturally difficult environment for women to report in a country where women in general struggle with equality. This cultural nuance adds to the weight local women journalists have to work around.
We at the CFWIJ regularly get cases and reports of harassment in the field. Majority of these incidents cannot be publicly reported for the safety of these journalists, but they indicate the existence of a variety of threats and attacks on women journalists working in the region. Professional and sexual harassment, and a combination of both is one of the most prominent issue women journalists are facing in the country.
In a recent meeting with local and foreign women journalists in Istanbul, the Coalition For Women In Journalism outlined the most importance areas women journalists need support in.
For local women journalists denial of threats and mistreatment was concluded as one of the most critical issues. Majority of women journalists in newsrooms face some form of sexual and professional harassment both by colleagues and in the field.
Majority of women journalists in newsrooms face some form of sexual and professional harassment both by colleagues and in the field. This calls for a reformation of attitude and policy with the newsroom. Turkey is also a difficult country to work in the field for women where regular encounters with police and authorities hamper their ability to work freely. Of course, the country’s reputation as a democracy is at stake, but we at the CFWIJ note and condemn the particular targeting of women journalists. This year Turkey became the biggest jailer of women journalists around the world.Watch (and share) our video about women journalists in prison in Turkey:
Foreign women journalists often face different kind of maneuverings by the authorities where their work is limited by means of verbal warnings. Between January 2019 and April 2019, we documented twelve cases where women journalists were refrained from their ability to work, by police and other local authorities. Earlier this year a female journalist from the Netherland, Ans Boersma was deported. Ans is also CFWIJ Fellow 2018. She was reportedly deported on request of Dutch authorities, but the sudden nature of the events caused undue stress and inconvenience to a journalist who had been working in the country for several years.
These circumstances are avoidable and we urge authorities to work harder to offer a conducive work environment for women journalists both local and foreign. We also urge the authorities to stop cracking down on journalists. We urge newsrooms, and particularly male bosses in the newsroom to install intelligent and empathetic policies for women in the newsroom. We urge journalism unions and groups in Turkey to put the safety and encouragement of women journalists in the field as their top priority.
Most urgently, we urge Turkey to release the imprisoned women journalists and allow free speech in the country. Many of the issues journalists face in Turkey can be resolved swiftly and others need greater policy change. We will be working more in the coming months to share our insight and suggestions on the subject. Meanwhile, lets help women journalists work freely and thrive.
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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.
Follow us on Instagram @womeninjournalism and Twitter @CFWIJ. Our website is WomenInJournalism.org and we can be reached at press@womeninjournalism.org
The Coalition For Women In Journalism closely monitors the incidents in Turkey with great concern. Since March 8, Women's Day, police violence against women journalists increasingly continues in the country. As the coalition, we urge the Turkish state to provide a free environment for journalists. Following the news is our most fundamental democratic right to report. We demand the immediate release of our detained colleagues. Journalism is not a crime. Journalism cannot be prevented.
If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.