The Coalition For Women In Journalism Partners With Media Defence
Date: September 21, 2020
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is thrilled to announce the partnership with Media Defence. This partnership will help both organizations amplify their efforts to provide women journalists around the world with legal support in key areas of concern. The partnership will be launched with an online workshop which will be available to participation of women journalists anywhere in the world by mid-October.
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. In order to ensure safety of women journalists CFWIJ partners with several organizations throughout the world.
Media Defence, is a legal defence initiative established in the UK and provides legal help to journalists, citizen journalists and independent media across the world. Media Defence works globally, where there is the greatest need for journalists to protect them from legal threats that violate the right to freedom of expression so that they can continue to report on issues of public interest. In order to achieve the goals of its mandate, Media Defence provides emergency defence to journalists in need of legal assistance, takes on strategic cases for litigation and partners with other organizations to build capacity.
Through the partnership, CFWIJ aims to conduct regular workshops for women journalists on understanding legal rights pertaining to freedom of the press globally and constitutional rights in specific countries; helping journalists tackle any legal threats whether it be in cases of libel lawsuits, raids or any impediment at work. Some of the key areas of threats that CFWIJ documents around the world revolve around legal threats women journalists face by state authorities. This partnership opens a door for challenging obstacles that women journalists face through weaponization of law. In order to bring about a systemic change concerning safety of women journalists, states should be compelled to protect the constitutional rights of journalists and if they have been violated, such abuses shall be investigated and the perpetrators of attacks should be brought to justice. We are confident that the partnership with Media Defence will further strengthen our advocacy program.
Women Journalists looking for legal support anywhere around the world, can write to us at safety@womeninjournalism.org or press@womeninjournalism.org.
The CFWIJ strongly condemns the police brutality against journalists. We demand the immediate return of the press cards seized from the security forces. Policies to intimidate journalists should be abandoned, and journalism should be practiced under the criteria of freedom of the press.
If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.