Location: Venezuela
Date: February 12, 2019

Venezuela’s recent election results have led to chaos and violence. Protesters supporting both Juan Guaidó, the president of the National Assembly, and the “re-elected” President Nicolás Maduro are part of the clashes.

Maduro has used an illegal and unconstitutional ploy to fuel his second term in office, a move that has been criticized by many governments, including the US.

The situation has never been more precarious for women journalists that are on the ground covering the scene. In Maracaibo, the capital of Zulia state, video of a tank trying to run over a woman journalist only recently emerged.

In the video, a Venezuelan news reporter Madelyn Palmer can be seen hopping over a road as the tank advances in her direction, undeterred.Palmer escaped the events uninjured, but her work has shed light on the on ground situation for those present. According to CPJ numbers, Venezuela has jailed the most journalists in the region. The body further estimates that over 500 to 1,000 journalists have fled to other countries because of backlash against their work.

This is in addition to a crackdown on media. El Nacional, the largest independent newspaper in the country, shut down in December 2018, signifying the worsening situation of newsprint restriction.

Journalists who are attempting to cover the situation will have to deal with a range of serious and very real problems — they should be prepared for physical threats, legal action, deportation and detainment.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is concerned about the vast number of challenges that women journalists may face in this situation, and urge supporting organizations to do more to remedy the situation.

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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 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.