On the occasion of March 8, International Women’s Day, the SafeJournalists Network warns that women journalists in the Western Balkan countries continue to face ongoing threats, pressures and gender-based harassment, particularly in the digital sphere, while institutions often fail to respond quickly and effectively enough. Between 2021 and the end of 2024, the SafeJournalists Network recorded a total of 196 incidents committed exclusively against women journalists, while in 2025 alone, 121 cases have already been documented. These figures point to an alarming upward trend and underline the urgent need for stronger protection measures, especially in cases of online harassment, threats and coordinated targeting campaigns.
Women journalists and working conditions: threats, pressure and slow institutional responses
Digital violence has become the most widespread form of attack, ranging from coordinated smear campaigns and gender-based hate speech to sexualized threats, including threats of rape and death, often directed at family members as well. Despite digital traces, institutional responses are often slow or absent, which discourages reporting and normalises online violence. Women make up the majority of the journalistic workforce in SJN countries, yet they are exposed to the gender pay gap, slower career advancement, and undervaluation within editorial hierarchies, alongside a high level of informal contracting and a lack of social protection. Such an environment increases vulnerability, encourages self-censorship, and narrows the space for professional integrity.
Women in the media: stereotypes and lack of visibility
Beyond safety and labour-related challenges, there is still a persistent problem regarding how women are represented in the media. The Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP), which has been measuring the same indicators of gender representation in the news for thirty years, shows that digitalisation has not led to a meaningful break with stereotypes: women remain underrepresented in “hard news” and are too often portrayed through victimisation or traditional roles, while gender-based violence remains insufficiently covered in relation to the scale of the problem.
Declaration on women journalists’ safety: a regional response
Recognising the scale of the problem, the SafeJournalists Network launched the signing of the Declaration on Improving the Safety of Women Journalists in the Western Balkans at a regional conference held in Belgrade in September 2025. The Declaration has so far been signed by nearly 400 stakeholders from across the Western Balkans, demonstrating broad willingness among the media community and relevant partners to address this issue in a systematic way.
The SafeJournalists Network calls on institutions, media outlets and professional associations to ensure effective action in cases of gender-based and digital violence, for newsrooms to establish clear internal protection and support mechanisms, and for media to ensure consistent gender-responsible reporting free from stereotypes. The safety of women journalists and equal visibility of women in the news are not a “specialised agenda” but a foundation of professional journalism and media freedom.
