To mark International Women’s Day, partners of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) published alarming data highlighting that women journalists across Europe continue to face enhanced risk through systematic gender-based violence. While these abuses directly harm individual journalists and their freedom of expression, they also have broader consequences for media freedom.
Our 2025 monitoring documented 53 cases of gender-based violence against women media professionals, including online smear campaigns, threats of sexual violence and derogatory comment about physical appearance. These findings reaffirm that women journalists are disproportionately affected by gender-based violence. Although it is evident that they capture only a limited snapshot of reality, the data reveal clear and concerning trends.
From online abuse to offline harassment
Gender-based violence against women journalists occurred predominantly online (59%). Most of the 31 attacks documented in 2025 took place on social media and can therefore be categorised as tech-facilitated gender-based violence, on digital platforms, messaging apps, or AI tools used to discredit women journalists. One reported case was about the circulation of AI-generated nude photos of two Italian journalists. In another case, a Spanish journalist working for RTVE was recently cyberharassed after a photo of her was taken out of context and weaponised to discredit her professionally. Although such incidents are still emerging, they demonstrate the extent to which digital tools can be abused to facilitate and amplify already existing gender inequalities and offline gender-based violence. Vice versa technology-facilitated gender-based violence can also result in physical gender-based violence.
In 2025, Mapping Media Freedom platform (MapMF) recorded serious cases of gender-based violence taking place offline. Several attacks occurred during sporting, political events as well as demonstrations, and even at journalist’s private place. A serious example in France is that of Nora Bouazzouni, a journalist specialising in nutrition and gender, who received a letter containing hateful, racist, and misogynistic messages at her house, following years of cyberharassment.
Gender-based violence, a discrediting tool by public officials
Although many of the incidents are perpetrated by private individuals, public officials also play a significant role in spreading misogynistic rhetoric that are used to discredit women journalists and divert public and professional attention away from their work. For instance, in Spain, the far-right party Vox launched a coordinated smear campaign against journalist Cristina Fallarás, which seriously exacerbated the ongoing harassment she has been facing for years.
Online threats and smear campaigns in the Balkans: A worsening climate in Serbia
The situation of women journalists remains particularly tense in the Balkans. In 2025, 21 cases of gender-based violence were documented across the region, a sharp rise from eight in 2024, reflecting a growing, worrying trend in online threats, smear campaigns, and other forms of harassment. Serbia accounts for the highest number of registered incidents, underscoring the particularly hostile environment facing journalists there. Independent journalists, frequently targeted by the Serbian government and tabloids with criticism, are facing threats and sexual harassment by private individuals. This trend has become even more pronounced since the deadly collapse of the Novi Sad glass roof and the intensified crackdown on media reporting on anti-corruption protests such as N1.
It is noteworthy that gender-based violence is not limited to journalists themselves but extend to their female family members, who face misogynistic insults and, in some cases, explicit threats of rape.
Gender-based violence requires swift response
On the occasion of International Women’s Day, the MFRR partners express their unwavering solidarity with all women working in the media sector who face enhanced risk in doing their job due to their gender.
Gender-based attacks both offline and online require tailored action from EU Member States, candidate countries and the European Commission, including in the implementation and enforcement of the Digital Services Act and the review of the Recommendation on the Safety of Journalists. Authorities must recognise that such attacks are not isolated incidents, but part of a broader strategy to silence voices and expressions of structural gender inequalities both offline and online. This is especially concerning when the misogynistic behavior comes from or is propelled by the state and public officials. When backed or legitimised by a public figure, such attacks undermine journalists’ credibility, foster self-censorship, and create a permissive environment for further gender-based violence.
The undersigned organisations furthermore remind public officials that they bear a heightened responsibility and call on them to refrain from all forms of stigmatising, sexist or misogynistic rhetoric, and to unequivocally and publicly condemn all attacks against women journalists.
Effective reporting mechanisms are a cornerstone of protecting women journalists. We invite any to report incidents, as systematic documentation is essential to exposing abuse and triggering effective institutional responses. In addition, access to justice and thorough investigation into cases must be strengthened.
Only through accountability and concrete safeguards can women journalists work safely and citizens’ right to information be fully protected.
