What If? Safety Handbook for Women Journalists

International Association of Women in Radio and Television

WHAT IF…?

SAFETY HANDBOOK FOR WOMEN JOURNALISTS

Practical advice based on personal experience Published by the International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT)

Illustrations © Doaa Eladl, used with permission

Abeer Saady asserts her right to be known as the author of this work.

Copyediting by Nonee Walsh

ISBN: 978-82-691536-1-3 Contents

Introduction ...... 1 Preface: The Third Gender! ...... 4 1. Risk Assessment ...... 10 The four stages of a safety plan: ...... 10 Receiving threats ...... 12 2. Profile Management, and Gender Based Preparation: ...... 14 Working undercover ...... 18 Developing situational awareness skills ...... 20 3. Gender Based Violence and Harassment...... 24 Outside and inside the Office ...... 26 Harassment by sources ...... 32 Online harassment: ...... 33 Rape as a weapon ...... 37 4. Travel Safety ...... 40 The “Grab Bag” ...... 41 Mobility options ...... 42 Hotels in conflict zones: ...... 45 Countering surveillance ...... 47 Checkpoints ...... 47 5. Digital & Equipment Safety ...... 50 6. Crowd Management ...... 53 7. Wars and Conflicts… a Woman’s Land! eag h are gr agh rre ag a ee a beg ae ra rg ag rree rg erage r re a ha ae eag h rr erg ee aga e a gr G eare a eag h raa ha ae e T rer r ere errr r er r he ega ae ha a aager e r

Published with the generous support of the Norsk Journalistlag, UNESCO Communications and FOKUS, Norway.

ISBN: 978-82-691536-1-3 1

Introduction

ntrnational ssociation of Womn in adio and lision fls stronl tat tr is a nd for a concrt and ractical andoo it adic and rcommndations on scrit and saft ic is sciall addrssd to omn ornalists orin in ar and conflict.

n rcnt ars a in saft trainin to ndrds of omn drin W rlar confrncs to mor fmal mdia orrs arond t orld. articiants raisd t nd for sc a andoo corin ot t nral tartin of ornalists and attacs scificall dirctd at omn ornalists.

The IAWRT international board’s decision to draft this manual coincidd it t idnain of frlanc rai ornalist fra a o ord for local and intrnational raic lana otlts. as idnad from r om in adad in cmr and ld for tn das.

is attac as on of man tartin omn ornalists across t orld. ttacs ar tn rtal incidnts in conflict ons sc as t on ic too t lif of ari Colin in il s as corin t si of oms in ria for a ritis nsar to lctronic arassmnt to lal callns tartin fmal ornalists.

rina ooa t irctornral of C as dscrid iolnc against female journalists as a “double attack” as they are tartd as omn and as rofssional ornalists. n t lit of tis crit Council resolution 2222 passed on 27 May 2015 drew attention to “the scific riss facd omn ornalists mdia rofssionals and 2

associated personnel in conduct of their work” and called for an understanding of gender dimensions when considering measures to ensure journalists’ safety.1

IAWRT has been inspired and informed by guides from C2 and Reporters Without orders R The study Violence and Harassment against Women in the News Media: A Global Picture, conducted by The International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) and The International ews afety Institute II was also helpful

The author of our handbook is Abeer Saady a journalist with 27 years of eperience in coering news and training in conflict ones he is a current IAWRT international board member Abeer has trained journalists on safety in hostile enironments and on conflict sensitie reporting across the world ere she combines her own eperiences as a female war correspondent with the eperiences related by women she has trained

1 ecurity Council adopts resolution 2222 httpswwwunorgpressen2015sc110dochtm 2 C Chapters on gender httpwwwunescoorgnewfileadminMTIMIACICIpdfprotecti ngjournalismsourcesindigitalagepdf httpunesdocunescoorgimage s0020022225epdf Women ournalists Commitment and Challenges httpsrsforgennewswomenjournalistscommitmentandchallenges 201IWM with II launched the first global surey of security risks for women journalists httpwwwiwmforgourresearchjournalistsafety iolence and arassment against Women in ews Media A lobal icture IWM II 201 httpwwwiwmforgourresearchjournalistsafetyiolence andharassmentagainstwomeninthenewsmediaaglobalpicture

This is the first edition of our handook. We would like to thank oth the orweian nion of ournalists orsk ournalistla () and for suortin it. We hae lans for translations to other lanuaes and the deeloment of an a easy accessile from a moile hone. We sincerely hoe that What if? …. Safety Handbook for Woen ornait will e helful for its readers – may they e female or male

nia aron resident International ssociation of Women in adio and Teleision

refae he hird ender

“We have to use the fact that we are women,” a Greek journalist told My colleague argued that the fighters’ Arab culture of hospitality, considerations related to gender, but another said ’Don’t look at them as women. They are journalists. We need them’.”

minded me of the famous quote of the BBC’s stories from Afghanistan and the Middle East. “In many conflict places I’ve worked in, western woman journalists have been regarded almost third gender. They are not treated as local women”. She said that No Woman’s Land: On the Frontline ith eae eorter

In the 2017 IAWRT ‘women making news’ documentary, eet eotion

No Woman’s Land: On the

reporter, which was so difficult to understand within the cultural contet of Afghanistan that she was treated virtually as a man. Like her Greek colleague, she noted that they wanted the BBC’s coverage. However, not all women journalists are treated as a ‘third gender’ and of those that are, it is not always for the duration of the assignment.

In this handbook, we consider the different categories of media women: there are international women journalists who operate in countries with cultures that differ from their own, regional journalists who travel to a neighbouring country, and local journalists and citien journalists whose treatment reflects the gender norms of their own society. This latter category suffers the most because conflicts and wars happen in their home towns, involving people they might know. We address journalists who work in media houses and freelancers – and the vastly different financial and support resources available to journalists in these different categories.

Regarding safety, some women journalists believe their eperience isn’t different to that of their male colleagues. They argue that serious dangers, such as being kidnapped or shot are not gender specific. owever, others believe that the fact of their gender makes them different and causes people to relate to them differently. The dilemma of gender in conflict reporting has been discussed etensively. An important publication, enderin War and eae eortin, discusses this argument. The book offers analytic approaches to understanding how traditional war journalism is gendered.

One important question is whether the increased presence of women in the frontline might be changing war storylines. The answer is that

7 Berit von der Lippe and Rune Ottosen eds. Gendering War and eace Reporting: ome nsihts ome issin Lins, International Clearinghouse on Children Nordicom, 201

there are now a huge numer of written and visual stories told y women journalists and these are imortant stories that were not always eing told efore.

our ely, a yrian awardwinning hotojournalist, was seriously injured and was on her way ack after receiving treatment in leo, 3. She got many photos that her male colleagues couldn’t get. One resulted in a hoto story covering the return of an old woman from Turkey to Syria, carrying her grandson’s dead body. The grandmother allowed our to do the story ecause she trusted her as a woman. Her photos of the grandmother giving the baby’s dead body to the sad arents told the story etter than many other reorts on the losses that local families face.

omen can also see what male colleagues do not. Take ayal ou ahal halifa, a young eanese journalist who in was writing uniue stories from the northern rai city of osul, where residents of the city were fleeing areas controlled y the ihadi organiation slamic tate . ne such story was aout mothers who had managed to escae, eing unale to reastfeed their aies in refugee camps, because they were starving. Sometimes it takes a woman’s eye to see the reality of war and dislacement.

ome may not agree with my thoughts, ut y the end of the ook No Woman’s Land you realie that women journalists have already raised their flag over the frontline. This has een at the cost of many sacrifices and the lood of women journalists, and it is crucial to make it as safe as ossile for them to get there, and do this imortant work.

“As a female, you have to prove yourself to earn this opportunity.” This was the advice received after getting my first contract in gyt, years ago. ronically enough, it came from a woman. he said that my career would e at stake if formed a relationshi or considered

marriage and children advice which violated my personal life something she wouldn’t do to a male colleague.

omen ournalists wage a war on two fronts the war to survive, and the war against the system. They are under pressure to prove themselves, and as a conseuence, they may subect themselves to greater danger. A Sudanese ournalist told me she visited a conflict one despite being at a highrisk stage of her pregnancy, to prove to her boss that she deserved the ob. She had a miscarriage. or this reason, one chapter of the handbook is directed at managers.

Today, my first advice to every female ournalist starting her career would be “You don’t have to prove anything to anyone. Never endanger yourself physically or mentally, to prove anything to anyone.”

nfortunately, realied that after five personal inuries, losing colleagues, and suffering trauma. now include these eperiences in my training on safety and hostile environments for female ournalists around the world.

“We always have to ask ourselves whether the level of risk is worth the story. What is bravery, and what is bravado?” said Marie Colvin, the veteran war ournalist who was killed in Syria, in .

ive female ournalists were also killed last year , including 3 yearold Anabel lores Salaar, a crime reporter for the eican newspaper l Sol de Oriaba, who was kidnapped on ebruary . er body was discovered the following day on a roadside, with her hands tied and her head covered in a plastic bag. believe the message of killing and hurting women ournalists is to demonie the presence of women in wars and military or civil conflict.

esearcher eba hatoon who works now in a Womn regional office, says that the seual assault of the CNN correspondent ara Logan at the hands of a mob in Egypt’s Tahrir Square unveiled a serious threat facing female ournalists and activists who cover crowded events. owever, the attack on ara was actually one of many such targeted attacks on female ournalists during the gyptian uprising. his was deliberately designed to send a message to all women particularly strong local women to stay home.

We cannot undo our lives, but can ensure others don’t repeat our bad practices or choices. his handbook collates the eperiences, not only of my years of conflict and war reporting, but also with permission the eperiences of other brave female ournalists who spoke of their eperiences during my training courses.

he advice is structured around what call the safety pyramid. eep this in mind as you prepare for and carry out your assignments to be as safe as possible. he holistic approach to safety was highlighted by organiations such as the notfor profit foundation, the nternational esearch and changes oard . hysical, digital, and psychosocial safety are connected. We will concentrate on physical safety in this handbook however, we will relate that to digital, and psychosocial safety.

– ecuring ccess to ree epression httpswww.ire.orgproectsafesecuringaccessfreeepression 9

n this handboo, e are not reinventing the heel, but gathering collective eperience and noledge together We are being selective, concentrating more on situations here omen ournalists face situations because of their gender in addition to the dangers hich all ournalists male, female or other gendered face

We acnoledge the big effort hich has already been eerted by journalist and women’s organizations, to examine what female ournalists face in dangerous situations, and to find ays to enable omen reporters to be safe in hostile environments

We hope this handboo builds on that and might be useful to you in your or lease treat it as an open source resource and if you ish to share your personal eperience or advice as omen ournalists, please feel free to contact me, abeersaadygmailcom

We may be able to incorporate your advice into future editions or translations of the handboo, or hen e are able to turn it into a mobile application hich epands to cover a range of specific situations hich female reporters may face

ould also lie to than my colleagues and friends, Egyptian cartoonist oaa Eladl for her generous contributions and from ustralia, onee Walsh and ronen light for editing and proofreading

aa, Trainer and WT board member

s ssssmn

“You can’t control the danger, but you can manage your risk” states hamaa del, a iddle astern war reorter, stressing that ris assessment is a skill that all journalists should have. “The importance inreases for me as a female journalist do ris assessment and lanning whether am oering a regional war or for loal overage.”

is assessment starts identifing the riss, then estimating the leel of ris and managing them through a seurit lan he management ranges from dealing with riss to aoiding them omletel and droing the assignment ne assigned to a stor, start ris assessment and lanning

he four stages of a safet lan

rearation ris assessment and gender related rearation rael to site moilit rearations transortation, times, and routes mlementation of mission situation awareness eturning home

hen lanning an assignment, use the following six uestions to form a seurit lan or women journalists, thin what gender onsiderations might al in answering eah uestion

What are the ossile threats and riss in this mission hreats can include civil unrest, attacks, weather…etc.) Where are the ossile threats When an danger our xamle night an e more dangerous for women journalists

. How can danger turn into threat 5. Who can be a threat potential attackers) 6. What if? isualie yoursel in possible dangerous situations – wounded, seually harassed, kidnappedabducted – think out responses medical planning and nearest hospital, transportetraction, communication plan).

isk assessment is done according to your individual proile. You should be aware o the eect that your proile has on your saety. Your gender, appearance, race and digital proile as a person and a journalist, and your behaviour, collectively make up your proile. ee roile anagement hapter ) arger media corporations tend to do risk assessment or assignments, but very ew media houses train journalists in how to do risk assessment themselves. oreover, there is an increasing number o reelance journalists with even less resourcing rom employers who compete to be paid or their stories.

n this handbook, we are using the risk ormula as eplained in ront Line Defenders’ Security Workbook’. FLD is an NGO supporting non violent deenders o human rights, ounded in the epublic o reland. This can be presented in the ollowing euation

Threats x Vulnerabilities Risk = ------Capacities

Risk assessment The level o risk acing journalists increases in accordance with threats that have been received and the vulnerability to those threats. Capacity is any resource, including abilities and contacts, which improves security.

ront ine eenders The olistic ecurity anual httpsholistic security.tacticaltech.org

ape en gyptian reporter Saar aadan goes to coer deonstrations in an area ere feaes ae been arassed se reaies tat te treat can increase because se is a feae ournaist. er capacities are anaging er profie earing suitabe cotes counicating it er office and aing a coeague it er. Se usuay estiates risk according to tis euation. Wen te unerabiities decrease tanks to te capacities and good preparation se takes te cacuated risk and coers te story.

Wen aika attarai an W eber in Nepa as coering te eartuake in se took into consideration te difficuties of trae aong so uc daage and te treat of ore eartuakes or treors. Se increased er capacities by oing it te cii guard troops and counicating it er faiy ost of te tie. Se reduced er unerabiity to buiding coapse by ony approacing o buidings. n eceent isk ssessent tepate is aaiabe fro te ory eck rust ebsite.

eceiing treats

isk refers to possibe eents oeer uncertain tat ay resut in ar ie treat is te decaration of an intention to ar.

‘N’ is a female Libyan journalist who had to leave her family and life in ripoi after er best friend and colleague was killed in 2015. “We made it clear in our reports that a civil state shouldn’t be controlled by iitias. is as responded to by iitia supporters defaing te female journalists and bloggers who had critical views. We hadn’t taken te treats e receied seriousy unti e ere socked by te nes tat uan rigts actiist ntisar asairy and er aunt ere found dead in teir car. ttackers sent ntisar fase inforation about a

ttpsrorypecktrust.orgresourcessafetyandsecurityriskassessent

113 needy family. he bodies were found in the boot of a car. ur online accounts were later hacked. was not the only female reporter or blogger to leave the country,” ‘N’ told me during a training session held in unis.

Neglecting threats was also not the right decision for a unisian blogger and citien journalist, ‘P’. She documented demonstrations opposing radical ihadi groups in unis. olice warned her after troops discovered her name among others on an assassination list. he was assigned police protection which restricted her activities as a reporter. owever this plan is still the only valid one according to the risk assessment.

any journalists receive threats directly or indirectly. emale journalists who have attended our workshops and training revealed many threats particularly online. n some occasions threats turn into reality.

Assessing threats 1 stablish the facts surrounding the threat. 2 ind out whether there is a pattern. ind out the objective of the threat. Source who is making the threat 5 Will the threat be put into action

‘N’ explained her risk assessment. She assessed the threats by listing them by method of delivery phone letter online passed on through contacts or officials and looking for any pattern and identifying objectives. fter the kidnapping and assassination of her colleague she realied that the threats against her could be put into action. he prepared her safety plan accordingly and took the decision to leave her Libyan home.

o anamn an n as aaon

our on proile is relevant to the types o threat you might receive. our exposure is a big issue that varies according to circumstances. s soon as you are exposed and identiied, the countdon starts to the point in time hen you cease to be sae.

ender, religion, race, nationality, tribe, location, education, language accent and dialect, attitude, proession, oicial documents, clothes, euipment, and political vies can aect your proile. s a proessional journalist, you have a proile according to ho your audience receives your output. e aare that your proile is composed o ho you kno you are and ho others see you. e aare that your proile changes as you change location. or example, even in your on country moving rom an area o ealth to an area o lo employment can signiicantly change your proile and risk levels. hat is also the case in a oreign country may speak the language, even live there comortably, but still ind that in some areas am in danger as a oreigner.

isks ill dier, depending on the location, the patterns o threats and attacks, the perpetrators, the degree of impunity, and the journalist’s identity, proile, activities and location. Part o the proile management, especially or omen journalists, is related to culture and health discussed belo in ealth onsiderations.

Gender related preparation cannot stress enough that cultural aareness is a key to proile management. ou must be aare o cultural norms and practices in the region rom hich you are reporting. oever, sometimes you ill only be able to think through a uick checklist.  o are omen looked upon and treated by the public

 re there any direct threats against journalists or females

What to wear? here are clothing considerations that may help omen journalists stay safe ● espect the local dress code and e on the conseratie side ● any female journalists gae me some shopping adice on preparation n any isit aroad, or to a remote area, uy suitale middleclass clothes that you can use if you are assigned to report there in the future ● o aoid attracting attention, do not ear tight fitting or reealing clothes oosefitting clothing may e more appropriate as ell as shirts coering the hips and thighs enerally, clothes that makes you shapeless are etter in conseratie countries or areas ith a record of harassment of girls and omen ● cares can e used in uslim countries as a hair coer, and are useful things ack a headscarfchador just in case ● f you are lond, coering your hair ith a hat or local scarf ill decrease your eposure ● or uslim eiled journalists, e aare of areas in estern countries ith a record of right ing etremist attacks or harassment slamophoia is rising in parallel to terrorist attacks ● lat, sturdy shoes that are easy to run in ith your loosefitting clothing ● earing a edding ring can preent unelcome attention ● Don’t wear expensive jewellery. Generally, don’t wear anything that increases your eposure to threats or theft ● ake care efore going out ith et hair n some cultures, this can e misinterpreted as a seual signal ● o not ear a ponytail or a necklace hich can e easily graed ear a sturdy elt ● arry a personal attack alarm ● ost flak jackets or ullet proof ests are made for men physically larger than omen and of course differently shaped –

wearing the wrong ind o aror an give woen jornalists a proles. orse, soe will avoid sing la jaets at all ease they’re too heavy.

Attitude preparation: ● lways e alert. eware o disssing details o yor wor with people yo do not now. t ay soeties e etter to pretend to wor in an alternative proession, sh as teahing. ● or attitde rests on eeling a level o serity inding the right ixer, sores and loal persons as drivers and translators is essential along with loating a sae plae to stay. ● or attitde to yor ixer st e ased on ll trst. ailre to rie a loal ixer who is oten a jornalist aot yor ission an endanger oth o yo. xaple a eale photo jornalist in an athoritarian iddle astern ontry ae nder polie srveillane when an international reporter she was woring or arranged pli eetings with ativists, withot rieing her. e let with his story, she ended p having to lee her ontry or ae arrest and a long jail sentene. ● rie yorsel on langage and traditions, and e aware o ltral nors aot dress. ● t is iportant to ind ot aot loal ltral attitdes to woen. n soe ontries woen jornalists will need to reeer that en will not shae hands with woen. s well, a woan jornalist in soe ontries ay not e given the sae respet as a ale reporter. ● e aware o how yor ontats and sores ight pereive yo and avoid reating ltral isoneptions. ● oe types o onversation or ats an e inappropriate in soe onservative ltres. xaple visiting a single an or inviting a an to yor roo an e isnderstood y hi or the others. ● hin aot liiting or avoiding alohol onsption in plaes where it is onsidered taoo or woen to drin.

● oy aae er ao tre. ae eye otat oete a e oere rt he other t a reet reet. a ave y oe orat oth ra aa a a ot to ae eye otat th e. oever e aare o tra eree th otre oth ra or tae oe tre ato eye otat reet herea other o eye otat reet. ● otro eoto hh ho yor oy aae. ae ye a re y he they toe or ar yra eae o y ary oy aae they ote e reat to a eroa t y ra y hoer eve thoh a ear a a re over a y oy. y roe aaeet ave y e. ore eta eo ● reare a over tory. ear a e r y a ha a hre to e o ate atteto or arry hoto o male relatives, if you’re alone and facing unwanted attention e t – ‘I am waiting for my husband/boyfriend or colleague to arrive’. ● e reare to oer ta a ae oeae th yo to otetay voate tato.

Health considerations: ● eore o o have a heath he. yo have ay e reare y a vt to the reevat otor eeay the ett. ● hya ee h a vt the toet are a aety oerato or eae orat. oe orat avo r r o eae o th t that a r to heath. ae a rth eae orat e to e ete to ea oe ro her ae oeae heever he eee to somewhere private to urinate. “Not only was it dangerous to go by yore the ar t a ao a hat experience,” she said. e e ot oe reer at eat a h a tree a a or a th to reeve theeve rvate. ● ooe ho e ahae o a or or v he a oveet a ae ay to eet that ee. ae aa

idorne, needed to visit the toilet during an external coverage in Kabul. Concentrating on that need, she hadn’t noticed her colleagues and local fixer moving away. he ended up alone. he survived the situation, but learnt to always stay alert. er story is in Hannah Storm’s book No Women’s Land. ● enstruation can be an awward issue and sometimes involve breaching cultural taboos. ae supplies, women ournalists can find it embarrassing to as for feminine hygiene products in the field. ometimes they are simply not available. ● ecide about rising your pregnancy and have a medical bac up plan. It is not uncommon for pregnant women ournalists to have miscarriages – and tell noone.

oring undercover

ood profile management and a good cover story are essential for all female reporters in conflict areas. owever, a reporter who wors undercover should always be alert to exposure, even after her story has been broadcast or posted.

hen a yrian ournalist from l aa, which was controlled by II in 2015, went undercover on a dangerous mission, she did ‘profile management’. She wore clothes like those worn by women who live under II control. ven when taling at the beginning of her report, she didn’t reveal her identity. She used the name of ’Razan’.

hen she resumed her normal life, things were going well until someone revealed her identity and the fact that she had lived in rance as a refugee, thus putting her bac in danger.

ritish ournalist from the , woring undercover in the on the documentary omen need, had her identity revealed during her undercover wor, but when someone threatened to expose her she ased for police protection.

119

he same situation is faced by many ournalists doing investigative reporting in hostile environments. e have heard about this from female ournalists in atin merica reporting on the rampant crime and corruption associated with the drugs trade.

Tips for women journalists working undercover:

● Reduce your eposure as much as possible. e cautious and always alert study the hostile environment very carefully how do people, especially women, dress hat is the culture, and religion hat are the traditions like, especially in dealing with women ● e aware that a culture which silences women can protect you from challenges. Example: if you don’t know the local language or dialect, you can simply be silent. n religiously conservative societies let the male fier handle the conversation. ● Respect religion and culture. Some sources will take your respect for their culture into consideration, according to advice given by colleagues covering the iddle ast and slamic countries such as fghanistan, akistan and ran. ● ake care when choosing the fier, the driver or the local person who will assist you. ● nger and emotion management is crucial to controlling the body language aspect of your profile. ● ever access social media during missions. ou may navigate, but never publish, especially not your location. enerally, never have acebook and witter apps on your mobile phone. ● e especially careful with photographs, acebook and witter updates and geolocation facilities on phones and computers. ● ever create a cover story that is completely fictional. se minor misinformation fictions, maybe about your ob, the rest should be true.

● hen you are safe neer expose those who helped you that can endanger them and you. ae in mind that if you are coering armed groups who work internationally they can reach you anywhere.

eeloping ituational awareness skills

afety depends on deeloping your situational awareness to aoid potential attacks. Examine the scene eforehand. ituational awareness aries depending on where you are working: outside or inside during the day or night. ontinually ask yourself ‘are there any people or events that seem out of the ordinary?’, and ‘who might present a threat?’

ournalist should pay close attention to her surroundings efore starting work and ask herself questions such as ‘what are my exit routes?’ Example: n eruary ala orani a reporter was standing etween demonstrators who organied a sit in inside ahrir suare calling for the toppling of Egyptian ormer resident uarak and supporters of uarak outside the suare. he wrongly assumed there would not e any confrontation. uarak supporters attacked the sitin with camels and weapons in what was known as “The Camel Battle”. She had no plan and was taken by surprise. Local thugs tried to attack her and a male demonstrator helped her out.

oweer e aware that some structures and enironments away from the immediate threat may themseles pose an additional threat or danger. ack street away from a demonstration or the home of an unknown person might not e a genuine refuge.

here possile a ournalist should cultiate relationships with local women and follow their lead, locally or on foreign assignments. “If I am in a situation and there are no other women present, that’s usually a

21 good sign for me that I need to be extra vigilant about my safety,” said one .S.based ournalist.

Think about how to hide, defend, or protect yourself, given that attacks may come from individuals, groups, or mobs, often without warning. This does not have to be complex action. or example, if a group of men are paying too much attention, or seem hostile, it is time to move, get yourself into a mixed sex group.

Additionally, “Trust your instincts – they are almost always right. The dodgy dirt road, the guy behind you in the street, the free ii connection – if it feels like it’s not a good idea, it rarely is,” said one Southern fricabased correspondent.

hen a ournalist becomes so involved in covering a story that she fails to take stock of her surroundings to mitigate potential threats, problems can start to escalate. se all senses, be vigilant, and learn to spot the signs of danger before they materialie into an attack.

ow to make an emergency communication plan

“You are in danger when no one knows where you are. This rule saved my life,” says a Tunisian female photoournalist who was saved from an attack in a side street near a sitin protest that she was covering. She contacted her colleague before following a person who promised to introduce her to the leader of the demonstration. er colleagues realised she was missing, and arrived at the right time to save her and the equipment.

n emergency communication plan is necessary when working in conflict or hostile ones and is particularly important for safety in coverage of large crowds.

ere are some tips for your plan:

● evelo checkin rotocols with someone you trust as a colleague, friend, or family memer. hen travelling, have an estalished time for checking in. A clear contingency lan should e ready for activation should you fail to make contact. f travelling alone, always tell someone where you are going, how you lan to get there and when you eect to e ack. f you are meeting someone, leave a name and numer for them with someone you trust. ● ournalists in hostile environments should work in teams as much as ossile. rior to eginning coverage, they should discuss with whom they will team u and where they will head for safety. it routes should always e lanned. ● rivers, fiers, and other team memers should e vetted. stalishing asswords or security rotocols is a good recaution when making initial contact with a driver or fier, such as eing icked u at the airort. ● rite down imortant contacts in case hones or comuters are stolendamaged and store them in multile laces, giving a coy to the contact erson. ● owever, female ournalists should e etra careful of sharing contact details, lans and accommodation details with eole you don’t know very well. ● A ournalist should consider carrying a asic hone that noody would want to steal and have it rerogrammed with emergency numers on seed dial. ● hile social media may e useful in allowing friends to know your movements, ensure that any online rofile does not comromise your safety or that of eole around you. ● ever agree to meet a visitor whilst you are alone in your worklace. f this should ever haen, do not reveal that you are alone. ake a telehone call after the visitor has arrived, telling someone that you will get ack to them at a certain time after your visitor, r has left. This acts as oth an information

ll nd deterrent. ou n lo et oeone to ll you t e te. ● ven n lre workle you y nd yourel eetn ller n uet re. lwy ke ure tt oeone ele know were you re nd wo you re een. eet rt te vtor n ul le u reeton nd tell oeone were you on to tlk to te. you re unure out rt te ller ke ure you ve olleue wt you.

. ende ased oene and aassmen

ender ed volene one o te ot oon tret to woen n enerl nd ele ournlt everywere. n r ked rou o ele udnee ournlt to rodue lt durn trnn eon. ey de two lt one o tye o volene tretn woen n oety nd te oter o volene nt ele ournlt.

ordn to te volene nt woen nlude doet volene ender drnton t oe or work verl volene yl volene olty retrton ruon erly rre denl o edutonl or ol rt unr trdton nd ulture tret veral and physical harassers on public transport … etc.

olene nt ele ournlt nlude rent on to o t ltton o ed o n enerl redun oortunte or woen within media houses; media employers not taking women’s privy needs or women’s multiple social responsibilities into consideration; rent o ele ournlt y oure. eton o reorter w lted noter tye o volene.

lr lt were rodued y ele ournlt n oter trnn oure n ktn er ol r nd ndone nd ud r.

ro te loe ender ed rent vre n le wo te rer re nd te edu o rent. ut wenever we old or ttend duon out tret n ele ournlt t to red. yn tt t trt ro onlne ullyn rnn u to re tret ledn eue rter nton o ournlt n ny ountre n led to u erou ol kl tt t n led to ele ournlt vn entl rekdown or el

25 destructive impulses. ample many trainees have told me they considered suicide ater serious public attacks which deamed their personal morality.

eual harassment is always mentioned in our training as a threat. ources and even work colleagues may be the harassers. ender based violence in public spaces is not limited to countries with conlicts or traditional cultures but is common in stable areas such as urope and merica.

What is sexual harassment?

ccording to the ustralian uman ights commission seual harassment is unwelcome seual conduct which makes a person eel oended humiliated andor intimidated where that reaction is reasonable in the circumstances. t can involve ● unwelcome touching hugging or kissing ● staring or leering ● suggestive comments or okes ● seually eplicit pictures screen savers or posters ● unwanted invitations to go out on dates or reuests or se ● intrusive questions about an employee’s private life or body ● unnecessary amiliarity such as deliberately brushing up against someone ● insults or taunts o a seual nature ● seually eplicit emails or messages ● colleagues accessing seually eplicit internet sites ● behaviour which would also be an oence under the criminal law such as physical assault indecent eposure seual assault stalking or obscene communications.

t is not seual interation flirtation attration or friensip i is invite mutual onsensual or reiproate eual arassment is a leally reonise form of se isrimination an it is unlaful in te orplae in ustralia an in many ountries aroun te orl

utsie an nsie te ffie

“When we talk about safety for the media, we often think in terms of stayin safe in ar ones urin ivil unrest an environmental isasters but o often o e tin of te offie as a ostile environment?” said Hannah Storm iretor an autor of No Women’s Land

orin to te lobal survey of violene an arassment of omen in te nes meia totirs of omen ournalists ave eperiene intimiation treats or abuse in relation to teir or ost of tose treats an oter instanes of violene ourre in te orplae an ere ommitte by male oorers “… targeted by teir olleaues an beause tey are let on by te very people tey soul be able to trust te violene an arassment tey fae goes widely unreported and therefore unpunished.”

e arassment of female ournalists is bot a ener an a meia manaement issue

Harassment inside the office

“My eyes are up here,” she snaps at the reporter as, midonversation is attention rifts aay from er fae toars er est e iles she shrugs it off as just another display of myopic male mentality.”

hat is a akistani journalist, tika ehman, uoting a colleague, in her report about gender based harassment inside the office.

here is a wide gap between the upholding of laws, where they eist, to protect women in the workplace and the reality for female journalists competing to keep and ecel in their careers. While it is clearly the role of your management to address seual harassment, it is often left to women to create the culture in media houses which makes seual harassment unacceptable.

Sometimes laying official complaints may be counterproductive to your career, even if that is your right under law. However, if you are being stalked or fear for your life, and your employer will not act to remove the threat, go to the authorities. Write down the names of the officers you talk with, take a witness, and reuest a copy of the police report.

have listed a range of ways to deal with seual harassment inside the office. t includes advice from merican journalist Sherry icchiardi and other female reporters

● ress professionally and conduct yourself with confidence and pride in your role as a journalist. ● Make it clear you will not tolerate inappropriate touching or comments from support staff, colleagues, or sources. ● Make clear that suggestive comments, crude jokes, and inappropriate touching are offensive to you.

tika ehman, Women in journalism Harassed at work www.akistangendernews.org Sherry icchiardi, httpsijnet.orgenblogadvicefemalejournalists facingharassmentjob nternational ournalists etwork

● n a calm but resolute manner, remind the guilty party that you are a professional woman and that you demand the same respect that males in the newsroom receive. ● Sometimes it is useful to ask the abuser, ‘Would you speak to your mother, sister or wife this way? Would you want someone treating them the way they are treating me?’ ● f a source harasses you, use your social intelligence your ability to effectively navigate and negotiate comple social relationships to make him back off or withdraw. ell him his harassment is unacceptable. ● f the behaviour of a colleague hinders your work and well being, ask him to stop or report him. alk to someone you trust. his could range from a colleague to your boss or your union. ● Don’t rule out the possibility of being able to have your superior take disciplinary or legal action. eep a written record of what was said or done to you. ecord time, date, place, and your response. dd the names of any witnesses. ● When reporting to management, take a witness to observe their attitude and behaviour towards you. hat is particularly important if you are reporting seual harassment by a superior. ● f seual harassment is coming from your boss, and this is a growing problem, avoid him and tell him this is not acceptable. f you have a higher authority inside the media house, report him and ask for protection. Involve your journalists’ union. ● heck out legal recourse and support networks through s or women’s organizations. t is not always easy. When was Vice Chairperson of the Egyptian journalists’ syndicate, I received complaints from female journalists. n some cases, the

Social scientist Ross Honeywill believes social intelligence is an aggregated measure of self-and social-awareness, evolved social beliefs and attitudes. http://www.jofamericanscience.org/journals/am- sci/am110315/004_28107am110315_23_27.pdf

women withdrew their complaints, fearing revenge or the stigma of being seen as immoral in a conservative society. I remember in one case a brave female journalist continued the battle, until the harasser her manager was named and shamed. During that process, he threatened me as well, because of the support the union gave her. ● Encourage company management to create a system for reporting seual harassment, including peer support, and penalties for offenders.

How to deal with harassers in the field

irstly, minimise risk. ere is a checklist offered by udith atloff, a veteran foreign correspondent and teacher at the Columbia School of

ournalism, aimed at minimizing the risk of seual aggression in the field ● In general, try to avoid situations that raise risk. hose include staying in remote areas without a trusted companion getting in unofficial tais or tais with multiple strangers using elevators or corridors where you would be alone with strangers eating out alone, unless you are sure of the setting and spending long periods alone with male sources or support staff. ● Especially in conflict zones, women journalists might find themselves living in intimately close uarters with colleagues or sources, sharing scarce hotel rooms, vehicles, or tents – and on the receiving end of unwelcome advances. Women journalists can think that being hassled is part of the job. It doesn’t need to be that way. ● eep in regular contact with your newsroom editors compiling and disseminating contact information for yourself and support staff is always good practice for a broad range of security reasons. Carry a mobile phone with security numbers, including your professional contacts and local emergency contacts. ● e discreet in giving out any personal information.

Tips based on media women’s collective experiences dealing with violence and harassers

● earn a selfdefence sport. his was the number one advice from many journalists. Sometimes there is no one to help you or no one willing to intervene. our martial art teacher will tell

udith atloff, Safety ips for emale Correspondents ow to minimize the risk of seual assault while on the job httparchives.cjr.orgcampaigndesksafetytipsforfemalecorresp.php See also C security guide addendum on seualaggression. httpscpj.orgreportssecurityguideaddendumseual aggression.php

o retreat is the first option with violent threats bt feeling strong will be reflected in or behavior. ● arring a weapon is criminalied bt some everda items – sch as hairspra and spra deodorant – ma be sed as weapons and can deter an attacker. ● epper spra is available and legal in man contries to protect o against ncontrolled animals. owever in weden it is considered a weapon and reires a licence. This is an example of wh legal awareness for ever assignment is reired. ● ornalists shold consider carring a whistle or a rape alarm in their hand or in an accessible part of their bag. t if fling the shold check beforehand if it can be carried on the airline. ● now what the commnit wold do to sexal harassers. In some cases, it is better to say, ‘a thief’ than ‘a harasser’. One of m gptian trainees did that and fond it sefl. ● If o are alone and being harassed se or cover stor sch as saying ‘I’m waiting for m hsband – or colleage – to arrive’ and if possible o shold consider moving to join a mixed sex grop even if the are strangers. ersonall I was harassed b a racist man in the oncord area in aris. I asked a rench famil if I cold join them for a while. e left when he realied I was not alone. ● sk for the spport of people arond o and show that o don’t accept harassment. ● eek and shot for help especiall if there are women nearb. If they can’t help directly, ask them to get help. ● If o are alone with the attacker and he is phsicall more powerfl start talking to him. sing emotional reasons sch as being a mother or pregnant can stop some sexal attackers others can be stopped if o claim that o have I or or period. ● If the are several sexal attackers tr to seek help from one of them. In some cases sch a person can protect o. This

scceeded hen a grop attacked a female colleage in ahrir sare.

arassment by sorces

he relationship ith sorces shold alays be professional. oever, some sorces try to cross the line. In cases here the sorce says or does something that the female ornalist considers to be seal harassment, strategies differ.

ornalist from oth frica and another from oray told me they tend to act as if they didn’t understand and then try to leave. Another merican ornalist laghed and took the hole thing as a oke and contined her ork professionally. third sed body langage to create bondaries, to prevent a male sorce from kissing her by shaking hands ith him hile holding his elbo ith the other hand, to keep or psh him aay. nother Italian trainee confronted the sorce to stop the harassment. he then reported him to athorities.

o avoid sch incidents, it is better to have control over the sitation. s mentioned in hapter , the location here yo meet the sorce might be a key here.

● It is alays safer not to meet someone in their on home. If that is the only ay, go ith a colleage. se a commnication plan. If yo have dobts and a colleage is not available, trst yor instincts and reest a telephone intervie or cancel. ● ever agree to meet a sorce hile yo are alone. If this shold ever happen, don’t reveal that this is the case, make a telephone call as described in hapter , hich acts both an information call and a deterrent. ● o can also get someone to call yo at specific times.

nline harassent

Dunja Mijatović, former media freedom representative for , recalls the eperience of a feale ournalist hose phone nuer as shared on a se datin esite. Anonyous articles ith lies aout her and her faily ere also posted online. er eail and other accounts ere haced and she received death threats on Skype. Mijatović elieves that these inds of attacs “cause severe psycholoical traua for ournalists and their failies. any feale ournalists ay re evaluate the issues they choose to cover. n this ay, such attacs pose a threat to free edia and the society as a hole.

urin y trainin sessions for feale ournalists in any countries, noticed that online harassent is ecoin one of the ost reported sources of assaults and violations.

eales, especially ournalists, are not ein protected. At a reional conference in outh Africa , A discussed the issue of online harassent. he cases presented there shoed that in soe ore conservative cultures there ay e a draatic ipact on physical safety hen a harassed oan is defaed and then stiatised y the society, and hate speech is utilised to incite attacs.

n a study conducted y the thin tan eos in the found that on itter, feale ournalists receive nearly three ties as uch ause as ale ournalists.

nternational oraniations such as and the loal ditors etor have launched capains aainst online harassent. n one itter capain, oen ith hih pulic profiles retaliated and

isoyny on itter https.deos.co.ufiles.pdf

shared their everyday life eperiences of seual harassent. Australian oen ournalists and loers such as leentine ord have one pulic aout the seual ause they have received online, leadin to apoloies or prosecutions of the harasser. Another deate aout oen eposin and confrontin online attacers too place in the ae of the edish docuentary en Wo ae Women nne in .

idsel old is a oreian aardinnin ournalist. ost of the online harassent she ets is ecause she covers events in the iddle ast, especially the sraelialestinian conflict. oever, her ale colleagues don’t get the same level or the same kind of abuse. She theorised durin a conference, ende Wa and on in slo, , “It’s easy to attack females because they are almost like a soft taret, especially if attackers sit behind the screen.”

atasha ynes rote aout her eperience dealin ith online harassent and threats on itter fro fans of . n a lo post published in the Huffington Post, she said “Occasionally, I would post pictures of my children or mention places I’m traveling to. Not anyore t is a scary orld out there. also ae sure to turn off y eolocation option on itter. id succeed in instillin fear in e The answer is a definite yes.”

ichelle errier, ho as the first feale AfricanAerican colunist at the aytona each es ournal, as forced to uit her o and leave the state, ut she turned her eperience of online harassent into soethin positive. ith other feale ournalists and tech eperts, she helped create rollusters, a platfor that allos oen in diital edia eperiencin online harassent, to type in the of

atasha ynes, he cary orld that is Araic itter. http.huffintonpost.conatashatynesthescaryorldthatis araictitter.htl

an offensive message to locate the troll. The platform received the top prie at the ord oundationI an e ode hackathon. hen asked for advice to ournalists facing online harassment, errier gave the following tips

● If they’re threatening you with bodily harm, go to the police and document the harassment i.e. keep screenshots of threateningabusive messages. ● If they’re insulting you (but not threatening you), step away from the computer. ● If they’re attacking your professional reputation, you might want to get friends to support you and provide you with professional endorsements.

s mentioned, some ournalists have dealt with the problem by outing trolls. No research has been done regarding how successful this has been and the time and effort it takes but it does alert others to potential trolls.

Norwegian victims of such abuse told ina andsverk Hagen of ilden Information entre for ender esearch in Norway that it is not the victims responsibility to respond. In her book e oae o onons – onne aassmen and eedom o see n oa, she reported that nearly half of all Norwegian ournalists and editors had eperienced bullying during the past five years. emale ournalists between the ages of and were twice as likely to be bullied and threatened as male colleagues of the same age.

Hagen believes that young women should be prepared for the potential shock of eperiencing the high levels of harassment now

ina andsverk Hagen, eningers mot Netthat og ytringsfrihet i Norge The ourage of Opinions Online Harassment and reedom of Speech in Norway. appelen amm kademiske .

36 associated with a media career. She says that “since the bullying is not likely to disappear, we hae to take seriously that online harassment affects some ournalists to such an etent that they might not be able to do their ob properly or write about the topics close to their hearts.”

agen gies the following adice ● upport those who hae been subected to online harassment It is not the ictims responsibility he media houses in general need to take more responsibility and improe their routines around their own ournalists and their freelancers ● eing part of a community is an important counter strategy when you’re being bullied: “having someone to talk to, perhaps someone who has eperienced the same, may diminish the effect of the threats and the bullying he community may help put the eperiences into words and turn them into something less shameful.” ● ame and shame the online harasser eeal the identity of those who post bullying messages and epose them oweer, agen underlines that demoniing the bullies by calling them internet trolls and referring to the comment sections as sewage is not the way to go he asserts that this is a phenomenon we should deal with as a society ● oderating the comment sections and preenting people from being anonymous may help a bit agen beliees that a better solution would be to deelop what she calls harassment competence, such as learning how to distinguish between arious forms of bullying, as her interiewees did hey distinguished between ‘the angry’, ‘the crazy’, and ‘the dangerous’

eate letold istad, oung women twice as eposed to cyber bullying as men httpsciencenordiccomyoungwomentwiceeposedcyberbullyingmen

bullies. The ‘angry’ are people you can respond to, and perhaps even make them understand that you’re a person who might get hurt by their utterances. Harassment coming from ‘the crazy’ and ‘the dangerous’ had better be ignored, according to the journalists, since a rely often maes the bullying even worse.

To conclude the journalists’ advice: ● nline violence is an etension of offline violence. ● ealize that seual online abuse is comletely traumatizing. ● Start social media literacy education with a gender lens. ● omlain to olice if your life or safety is under threat. ● amaign for laws to rotect women where they do not eist and sensitive enforcement where they do eist.

ae as a weaon

“I was threatened with rape myself,” a young Indian female journalist told me during an training session. She was threatened with rae if she continued her story about violations and abuse of women in her area.

he worst nightmare is when rae and seual violence are used as weaons. heard several such stories in some frican and iddle astern countries. uring conflicts, as in wanda and arfur in the 1990’s, rape was followed by killing the victim and mutilating her body. emale ournalists had to be more cautious than ever. Some of them had to leave their countries.

areen Shammo, an rai urdish azidi ournalist, had to leave her country in because of her coverage of the idnaings and seual assaults and organized rae of azidi girls and women by the slamic State, in northern ra.

The risk and fear of rape can be a woman journalist’s constant, usually unepressed, fear. ar and conflicts are violent and violence breeds aggressive behaviour of all kinds. oreover, rape and seual assaults happen in the most stable societies.

ertainly, rape is a very real threat. et very few women talk about it with their male bosses, whether it happens or not. s well as the fear that raising the issue might adversely affect careers, there can be a great deal of shame attached. If it does happen on assignment, apart from the shame issue for some, others don’t report it for fear of breaching the golden rule that a journalist should never become the ‘story’.

Tips to deal with rape threats based on II advice and collective eperiences: • onsider a rape whistle or alarm, and shout. • rotecting and preserving one’s life in the face of sexual assault is the overriding objective, eperts say. s mentioned above, journalists can learn selfdefence skills to fight off attackers, but some security eperts argue that fighting off an assailant could increase the risk of fatal violence. • actors to consider are the number of assailants, whether weapons are involved, and whether the setting is public or private. ome eperts suggest fighting back if an assailant seeks to take you from the scene of an initial attack to another location. • eual abuse can also occur when a journalist is being detained by a government or being held captive by irregular forces. Developing a relationship with one’s guards or captors may reduce the risk of all forms of assault, but journalists should be aware that abuse can occur and they may have few options. Protecting one’s life is the primary goal. If your defences fail, keep looking after yourself. ● If you are attacked, never feel guilty.

● ecord the incident or confront witnesses, usually harassers and rapists, with their actions. ● f you are sujected to sexual assault or violence, see medical help as uicly as possile. ● e aware that you may go through a range of emotions, so consider seeing emotional support immediately. ee professional help to overcome the trauma and where possile, ensure your employer gives you all necessary support.

Travel doesn’t only mean long distances. It can be getting from one location to another neary. ● oility planning is part of the preparation stage of every mission. f a story reuires travel to a new environment, research the location, language, culture, and customs in advance to mae informed decisions aout how to conduct the wor. ● hen appropriate, estalish local contacts vetted y your news organisation, colleagues, or other reliale sources in accordance with your communication plan hapter . ● e clear aout your travel arrangements and schedules, even when field reporting locally. eave contact details with a trusted person and have the appropriate documents, including relevant permits, press passes and insurance. ● arry out a ris assessment, have the appropriate training and euipment when possile and ensure there is a contingency plan to get out of troule if the situation deteriorates. uestions you might consider are ● Press acceptance how are journalists looed upon y the pulic ● ow are women looed upon and treated y the pulic ● re there any direct threats against journalists or females ● re there illegal activities such as drug trafficing operations ● re there common threats such as roeries, phone extortions, assaults, picpocets

The “Grab Bag”

“The region where I was staying in Libya came under fire,” said Safaa ale. o she had to leave quickly with one item. It was her ‘Grab Bag’.

The ‘Grab Bag’ should be the nearest thing to you in hostile or callenging laces. acacs are best as tey are easy to carry on yor ront or bac. or location and te secrity sitation sold dictate te ind o eiment yo sold ac. Te olloing list does not inclde ersonal rotective eiment sc as mass goggles or body armor

● necessary aers assort I cards driving licence asses ermits and ticets ee a coy o yor assort and docments it yo. lays store te originals in a sae lace. ● local and oreign crrency credit cards ● ater and snacs ● medical irstaid it rescritions and essential drgs ● ygiene rodcts sanitary toels or tamons et ies and toilet aer ● commnication eiment sc as mobile one carger oer ban ● ritten coy o essential nmbers and mas. mergency contact nmbers – ard coy I se a simle one or calling in aardos sitation smartone in te bag en yo need it. ● comassma tracer torc it sare battery ● at seater meracet deending on temeratre ● I visiting slim contries a eadscar cador st in case ● a edding ring to deter nelcome attention ● ornalist eiment sc as lato recorder camera.

tional items and advice ● emale ornalists sold consider carrying a istle or a rae alarm in an accessible art o teir bag. I lying cec i it can be carried on te airline.

● Be aware that some items – such as hairsray and sray deodorant – may be used as weaons and can deter an attacker. However, you can’t carry them in the lane cabin. ● Sanitary rovisions may not be available, make sure you have enough with you. ● Black cli microhones are more suitable than normal sie microhones. ttach them to your shirt or grabbag. ormal sie microhones increase your eosure and eole do not feel comfortable talking into them. ● se earhones to make sure you have recorded clearly.

obility otions

“Despite my requests, the taxi driver continued driving fast up the dangerous, dark road to the mountain area,” said Yasmin Hany. She arrived to cover the conflict in Lebanon, yet she recalls this situation as the most dangerous.

In arfur, female ournalists had to travel long distances over bad roads between towns in Sudan, requiring etra caution when moving around for coverage in that conflict one. ere are some tis for transortation and accommodation.

If traveling on foot: • Be aware of who is around you. • alk confidently, with your head u, and as if you know where you’re going. • void walking alone, esecially in oorly lit areas, quiet streets and alleyways. • If ossible, try to walk close to grous of eole. • rrange to meet eole in welllit and busy areas. • here ossible avoid carrying handbags, but if it is necessary wear them across your body.

• f you suspect you are eing foowed, try to find a usy pace hote, shop etc.

When using taxis: ● void traveing at night if possie. ● ways keep someone informed aout where you are, ut never put this on socia media. ● Dont use unicensed taxis even if they are cheaper. ● gree the cost efore you eave if the taxi does not have a meter. ● f using a service such as er, e extra cautious. end the contact detais of the driver to your contact person and te himher when you arrive. communication pan ● here possie, ook a taxi or a minica in advance. sk for the name of the driver. onfirm this when they arrive. arry the numer with you. ● f you are ordering a ca in a puic pace, keep your voice down. nyone coud pretend to e your ca. ● eware of suspicious passengers and the driver. ● nsist on safe driving. ● Do not put up with intimidating ehaviour from taxi drivers. et the numer of the ca when you get in so you can report any disturing ehaviour. ● f you fee worried, trust your instincts, and ask the driver to stop in a usy area and get out. ● If the driver won’t stop, use your mobile to call police and wave for hep from other drivers and pedestrians. ● rief the driver as itte as possie and never give persona information. ● imit conversation with anyone with you in the car. Don’t talk on the phone. ● Do not rowse your phone whie you are eing driven y taxi or hired vehice, oserve where you are eing taken instead.

● If alone, try not to sit in the front of the tai. If you are in the back and bein troubled by the driver, you have two doors from which to eit but remember some cabs have automatic lockin when the car is movin. ● Do not sit behind the driver, because he can block you by slidin back his seat. he back riht seat ie diaonal to the driver is the safest place in the car. ● ave an emerency plan in case somethin oes wron.

When using your own car: ● Drive well. ost incidents are the results of road accidents. ● If you are drivin to a location that is not known to you, plan the route, keep a map or a navigator handy so you don’t have to ask for directions. ● ave all essentials, such as a spare car tyre, and enouh fuel. earn how to fi the car yourself. I am writin this handbook with a dislocated shoulder because I dropped the tyre while chanin it in an isolated area ● If you suspect that a bomb may have been planted on your car, search it carefully. ● lways keep the car clean to spot anythin unusual. ● hen travelin between countries, use more than one car. ● ake sure your mobile phone is fully chared in case of emerencies. ● In multistorey car parks, make a note of where you have left your car. ● void poorly lit car parks. ● eep car doors locked even whilst drivin. eep your ba out of siht whilst drivin. any thieves use traffic lihts to open cars suddenly and snatch women’s bags.

Using public transport at night: ● emale ournalists should only take public transport at niht if necessary.

● travelling by bus, avoid the back, and i possible, sit in a seat nearest the driver. your stop is in a remote area, get someone to meet you or get o in a busier area and get a cab or the remainder o the ourney. ● you are travelling by train late at night, remain alert. ake sure the carriage you choose is busy with people. void empty carriages on trains and deserted stations at night. ● o not use your mobile phone unless necessary. tay alert. you need to respond to a call be brief and don’t give details. ome people entertain themselves by eavesdropping on others. ● void discussing details about yoursel with people you do not know.

otels in conlict ones

he most dangerous hotels used during wars, were in ra, and ibya. ne was bombed and the other was targeted because o the presence o a nearby military base. owever, remind mysel that even in very calm luurious hotels crimes happen and danger eists, especially or women.

ny situation can present risk. s one oreign correspondent put it, “men in powerful positions staying in your hotel can be even more threatening than border guards in a conflict zone.”

specially in conlict ones, women ournalists might ind themselves living in intimately close uarters with colleagues or sources, sharing scarce hotel rooms, vehicles or tents. hey can think that being hassled is part of the job. It doesn’t need to be that way.

Tips for staying in a hotel: ● otels should be ound beorehand where possible. ● heck the reputation o the hotel among local women.

● If there are colleagues in the same hotel remember their room numbers. ● If travelling alone choose a good standard hotel where security is of a higher standard than one you might stay in if travelling with male colleagues. ● hoose a hotel with reception and that has evacuation procedures. ● Don’t take hotel rooms with easily accessible windows or balconies. ● void eposure or attracting attention. ● If you suspect you are being followed stay in busy places and avoid waling in deserted corridors or taing lifts. ● o not wear clothes that attract unwanted attention. ● In a conservative society wear a wedding ring. I usually do this in war zones. ● ry not to attract unwanted attention by striing up conversations or maing eye contact with strangers. It can sometimes be misinterpreted as flirting. ● nsure the balconies and doors are loced. se the chain loc on the main door. ● Don’t open the door to strangers unless reception confirms with you. ● It is preferable to put out the ‘Do not disturb’ sign at all times. all houseeeping for cleaning while you are in the room. ● If it isn’t possible to lock the door of the hotel room, barricade it with luggage or furniture but ensure you can escape the room in a hurry if you need to. ● In war zones use security measures such as door wedges to eep intruders from entering the room. any female journalists buy a door alarm for use in hotels. ● ournalists should have a plan in case someone does gain entry and consider having a legal form of selfdefence near to them such as a small can of hairspray.

● Do not leae any aluables or important papers in the room. lways check if someone has searched your room while you are out. ote or photograph how you hae left it. ● e certain to locate an alternatie escape route in the eent of fire.

ountering ureillance ● lways be aware of your surroundings. ● Dont use digital euipment that takes your full attention. ● If there is a possible threat, don’t move alone. ● Don’t walk in empty or dark streets. ● ae a communication plan to inform someone of the threat. ● Identify the purpose of the sureillance gathering information, harassment, potential attack, or kidnapping. ● If you think harassment is the obect of the sureillance, reeal no information and try to oin a mied se group. ● If you suspect you are being followed, go to a busy place such as a hotel or a shop, and if possible and appropriate, consider informing somebody in authority about your suspicions. ● If you hae a whistle or a rape alarm or a spray, keep it handy.

If you are under surveillance ● ake sure of the sureillance threat. ● stablish the threat and the capabilities of the sureiller, and what the sureiller is prepared to risk. ● Decide on one of two options reeal that you know if you think that is going to stop them, or act normally and apply your emergency plan. ● oid getting into confrontation.

heckpoints

“How many prayers does a Muslim perform daily?” a member of an II armed group asked me in at a checkpoint in the north of

yria. I thouht I manaed my profile suessfully as I was ompletely overed. However, my rabi dialet would have revealed my yptian identity. I used sin lanuae to answer, yet the man pushed me I fell and hurt my nee. I was luy to et throuh this hepoint with only this inury, while many ournalists overin areas ontrolled by armed groups didn’t. My colleagues and friends James Foley and Kinji Goto were idnapped from hepoints and later beheaded in the infamous II ouube videos.

hepoints represents a maor threat in onflit areas ontrolled by militias, whether armies or nonoranied troops. In trainin, we do roleplays desined for different situations. Here are some tips to deal with he points ● replannin is essential when you are in a hostile environment. ● rofile manaement means that you dress to suit your mission. ● he over story is important. ain, no false story. ou may hide the part of your identity that may ause you trouble, suh as bein a ournalist in some areas. If you must lie, ust use one lie amon otherwise truthful information. ● Don’t carry documents or data in digital equipment that ontradits your over story. ● nowlede of the ontet, ulture, reliion, soial norms, and position of women in soiety is a must. ● If this hepoint belons to ihadi armed roups suh as II, women can’t be with nonrelatives in one ar. void the hepoint if possible or reate a over story that inludes a relation. How you dress is extremely important. Don’t talk, let the men do the talin. he ulture serves as a protetion in that respet. ● If possible, report that you have been stopped at a hepoint to someone who is part of your ommuniation plan. ● tudy the hepoint. his depends on your data olletin sills. asmine yan, a war orrespondent from ew ealand who overs the Middle ast, says some hepoints are fae to

seie people who pass through them. he experienced this during the ibyan war. ● ry not to be alone. Howeer, be aware of who is in the same car. ● pproach the checkpoint slowly after turning down the lights. ● nly the drier talks. ● nternal light on and keep hands isible. ● o sudden moes. onersations limited. ● anguage and expressions used should be chosen carefully. ● e aware of body language. ● hen you leae the checkpoint report to the communications contact person.

many, a female journalist from an rab Gulf state was blackmailed with photos taken from her mobile. digital expert found that the attacker sent a link that she opened, allowing him to control her mobile camera. Another Jordanian journalist’s data was taken when a waiter at her regular caf offered to charge her telephone. he waiter connected the phone to a laptop and easily synchronised the data. he later found out the corrupt company she was inestigating paid him to do that.

lackmailing stories are related to technology you use. heard stories from female journalists in the Middle ast, frica and sia. hotos taken from Facebook accounts are taken, photoshopped and published on pornographic websites when a victim doesn’t respond to blackmail. he attackers understand the conseratie nature of societies and use it against their ictims.

his handbook is not mainly about digital safety howeer, some digital tips should be included. Here we will address mobile safety, relating it to social media ● art of your profile is your digital profile. he equipment that you carry sometimes reflects who you are. lso, the digital profile includes your social media accounts Facebook, witter, nstagram, etc. ● he safety countdown starts when you start using equipment such as cameras. xposure in conflict or crowded places is too dangerous. n gyptian female teleision correspondent was brutally harassed in ahrir quare because she conducted long interiews and the camera was isible for more than minutes.

● Alwas close all the cameras and phones o our devices with a plaster our computer mobile iad and laptop. ● nline never open an untrusted link. an women especiall journalists ace blackmail through sp and surveillance programs.

he or eck nstitute also oers digital risk assessment documents or download.

here is a limit to how ar ou should go to protect our euipment. our own phsical saet is our irst priorit beore our digital and pschosocial saet. was seriousl injured in because deended m camera and reused to hand it to an angr demonstrator. e broke m jaw and suered or ears. eham a emale rian journalist was wise enough to evacuate her home in northern ria during an airstrike. er laptop and camera were destroed and she had to use her old smartphone to deliver her stories but the most important is that she realied her priorities and so survived.

Mobile safety hen ou carr a telephone in a hostile environment it is part o our proile and eposure. hat means ou are carring our contact list log o calls orwarded dialled lost received diar or schedule tet messages records sent received saved media preerences radio stations news sites pictures videos audio and on smartphones our social media games chats etc. our phone is stolen ● eport to the authorities and tr to use the locating unction i ou have it. ● If you can’t, let your contacts know you have lost your telephone.

httpsrorpecktrust.orgresourcesdigitalsecuritdigitalrisk assessmentdownloads

● Invest n a new hone an try to use theft nsurance

seful safety roceures ● ly tal ‘hygiene’ to your devices by deleting previous actvtes on a reular ass If you susect survellance, kee the hone as clean as ossle erase call los, an folers If you nee to scar your evce, erase all the nforaton fro the hone an reove the s car ● ncryte essan roras are etter, however, eletn senstve tet essaes as soon as they are sent or receve s stll oo n case soeone oens your hone ● Don’t use location services in case of possible digital survellance e aware that soe alcatons o that y efault, so you shoul check an eactvate the ● lways acku your ata an nforaton ● Don’t login by default to your emails or social media accounts throuh alcatons on your ole In case of theft or survellance, or f your ole s en checke y are rous, your rofle s coletely eose ot only ay you lose your accounts, ut corose your safety an that of contacts as well ● n ortant t we ot fro ournalsts n trann sessons s to create alternatve socal ea an al accounts an kee the on the evce you wll use n conflct ones ● hotos an veos shoul not e ket on your evce whle n a hostle envronent ● cars an ole assorts are ortant ● et eerency contacts such as health care rovers an olce on uck al ● se seuonys for senstve contacts eneral t to those erforn anerous ssons never take your sart hone wth you se a chea functonal one that s har to track f you reove the attery hs kn of hone stays chare for a loner te too

he aistani senior ournalist uatrina osain as assaulted by a group of men at a political rally before elections osain told he press ribune, “I don’t know if they were told to teach me a lesson, but do no that the nature of the assault as really horrific here ere multiple people grabbing at various parts of my body as scared that if fell or any of my clothes ere torn no one ould have been able to prevent a rape from taing place felt lie a cornered animal.”

In the aftermath of the incident, Hosain “had flashbacks, … I was rude to people ho ere offering to help me ith my bag at the airport felt vulnerable and my brain as ired into flight mode n public spaces ould desperately search for omen so could go and stand near them,” she says. She says she was mortified when people on social media accused her of concocting the story to “boost ratings” for her sho

osain eplains that she did not register a complaint because she did not want the episode to become a political issue. “It happened to me because I am a woman. Men ask us ‘why were you there’. Luckily for me reached out to friends and family and got therapy am not afraid to talk about it.”

dealt ith similar stories as ice resident of the gyptian ournalist yndicate in the aftermath of the anuary uprising he suffering of female ournalists covering crods as ell non internationally after the merican ournalist ara ogan as attaced in ahrir suare hen the phenomena ere eposed e found out that the attacs ere organied to target female activists politicians

54 and ournalists. he intention was to demonie the participation of women.

posure is a powerful weapon. ctually, eposure of barbaric tactics is ery important to counter demoniation. It also helps to mobilise public opinion against the attackers.

enerally, working in big crowds is one of the most dangerous situations where iolence often starts, especially for female ournalists. oering reolutions and uprisings in the Middle ast was challenging. emale ournalists, een eperienced female war correspondents, were subect to attacks and assaults.

uring the gyptian uprising we found that we needed to combine gender considerations with often contradictory safety considerations to deal with crowds. International ournalists had challenges related to cultural awareness and hatred of foreigners, while local ournalists faced ethical dilemmas and trauma associated with coering conflict inside their home country.

Tips when covering crowds, demonstrations, or civil disorder: ● replanning and situation awareness are essential. e alert at all times. ● s with reporting from war ones, the same principles of planning ahead and assessing risks apply. ust because the riot or civil unrest is in your local town, this doesn’t mean that you are not at risk. ● eading the crowd is etremely important. ery calm crowd can become etremely hostile within a few minutes. his can be triggered by the spreading of rumours or speakers that hit emotional buttons can trigger. ● Identify the groups of people present and estimate the risk each one represents to you. emonstrations are confusing because there are so many different types of people inoled.

or eamle demonstrators, antidemonstrators, olice in uniorm and others in lain clothes ournalists are indin that they are increasinly oen to attacs rom oth olice and demonstrators, so you need to remain alert here are more eole there to consider, media eole, reresentatives, eole who live neary, sho owners, street vendors, thieves, thus and rioters, and seual harassers s yoursel which o these cateories is danerous to you as a ournalist and a woman ● ae sure you remain aware o your situation and rememer that eaceul crowds can soon ecome danerous there is ethnic conlict you may need to now aout sae and unsae areas and it is imortant to ind out as much as ossile eore you set out eore the demonstration starts it is useul to reconnoitre the area to lan routes out o the area ● ome countries rotect you when you wear a visile ress vest, whilst in others it increases your eosure and maes you a taret ecide accordinly ● arry your ress , only show it when you elieve it is sae to do so, ut ee it accessile so you can show it uicly ● If you are a reporter you don’t have to be located within the crowd until you cant see what’s happening. Search for a location to see the ull situation etter ● you are a hotoraher or camera oerator, try to shoot rom a hiher oint ● nderstand the culture and e aware o your surroundins Don’t mingle in a predominantly male crowd stay close to the edes and have an escae route in mind ● emain aware o what is haenin around you, even i you are interviewin – sometimes crowds can sure suddenly and you can ind yoursel cauht u in the middle o a situation which can e rihtenin and danerous

● lways try to attend a demonstration with a colleague. ravel with colleagues and support staff. If something does happen to you it will be useful to have help at hand or at least a witness. ● If you are woring with a team you may become separated. It is therefore important to prearrange contact points and times in case mobile phones are damaged or lost. ● reload your mobile with an emergency number on the speed dial facility. ● If police seie euipment you may be stuc for hours in the same area so mae sure you have sufficient food and drin. ● arry a small bacpac with your snac water to last for a day in case you are unable to get out of the area. ● Include a small first aid it. ou may want to have a small towel which you can dampen with water if tear gas is used. ● If tear gas is liely to be used position yourself as far as possible upwind. ring eye protection such as swimming goggles or industrial eye protection. ● e careful of lanyards as these can be caught in a crowd.

educe your eposure ● rofile management is also an important sill here through your clothing body language and attitude. ● Dress conservatively and in accordance with local custom wearing headscarves may be advisable in some regions for eample. ● enerally wear loosefitting clothing with long sleeves and trousers. ae sure you wear sensible footwear that will protect your toes that you can move in fast. ear loose natural fabric clothing as this will not burn as badly as synthetic ones. emember there is the possibility of gasoline bombs being eploded. void maeup as it can interact chemically with tear gas. ● onsider wearing heavy belts that are hard to remove. void wearing neclaces ponytails or anything that can be grabbed.

● hec the weather forecast but ensure that your clothes are appropriate for all weathers. ● arrying euipment discreetly in nondescript bags can also avoid unwanted attention. arry a small device or thin laptop if they are necessary. ● onsider carrying pepper spray if not illegal or even spray deodorant to deter aggressors. ● ry to appear familiar and confident but avoid striing up conversations or maing eye contact with strangers. emale ournalists should be aware that gestures of familiarity such as hugging or smiling even with colleagues can be misinterpreted and raise the ris of unwanted attention.

Remember:

● Develop checin protocols with someone you trust. ● stablish prearranged contact points with the rest of your team photographer camera operator producer in case you become separated. ● or together with the team and all eep a mental map of your emergency escape routes. ● lways carry press identification but conceal it if it attracts unwanted attention. ● ring a cell phone with emergency numbers preset for speed dialling. ● arry a mobile phone with local contacts and a paper with the numbers disguised. ● code word is essential between a female reporter and her team or fier. nce it is mentioned that means it is time to leave the location. ● ave an immediate debriefing colleagues or your newsroom after the coverage to etract lessons from the coverage.

7. Wars and Conflicts… a Woman’s Land!

Despite the increasing riss and threats more women are reporting now from war and conflict ones. omen ournalists face down the double challenges there as ournalists and as women.

ere we raise some challenges relevant to wars and conflict and how women can develop their sills to increase their presence on the frontline. In our net edition we plan to add more situations such as natural disasters based on the eperiences of our I members in epal and the hilippines and on health epidemic disasters.

Dealing with armed groups

ur world today is full of armed forces. Some are representing official armies while multiple militias are not. n eample of this is the current war in Syria. any female ournalists including international regional local and citien ournalists are woring there. hese are the most dangerous areas for reporters.

ournalist should realie how armed groups or forces see ournalists in general and female journalists in particular. Many don’t understand journalists’ job requirements and goals. Journalists need information and armed groups often depend on confidentiality. his is a clash of obectives. pproach them with patience to gain their understanding and trust. egotiation and communication sills are essential here. eing a woman is a challenge too.

Some female colleagues who cover fghanistan say that the religious aliban leaders realied they should tal to them to spread their ideas. “They treat us as a third gender. We are not male reporters and we are not women in the traditional way” said the BBC’s Lyse Doucette, who

59 reported from fghanistan and the Middle ast. oweer, this is not necessarily the case for local journalists.

n the other hand, local women journalists should tae on confrontations with Taliban and the authorities. “You realize you are a woman, don’t you?” an Afghan police chief told award winning fghan journalist, ajiba yubi, the Managing Director of The illid roup media networ. he responded by broadcasting the report he wanted to suppress. fter ris assessment, ajiba too a calculated ris, based on her power as a famous media figure who is respected within the community. he applied the ris formula we mentioned earlier. he estimated the ris based on her capacity. is assessment is a sill journalists should master.

enerally, ajiba insists on staying in fghanistan een though her husband lies abroad. he established a new chapter for WT in abul this year to encourage more women journalists to stay.

In a different way to Najiba’s experiences, our Sudanese colleague, alma alem, faced difficulties with the guards not wanting to allow a woman journalist to enter a goernment building. s she realied that the guards needed someone they know to give orders, Salma didn’t argue with them. he used her social intelligence her connections to call someone who had the power to help her.

Independent or embedded?

f you are embedded with armed forces ● Being with them doesn’t make you one of them. ● Follow the safety instructions they give you, but don’t completely rely on them. f a military confrontation happens, you won’t be their priority to protect. ou are responsible for your own safety.

● As an embedded woman reporter, don’t assume anything in terms of your personal safety. o all you can to have a clear knowledge in advance of the conditions you will face. Ask who will meet you, where you will sleep, etc, so you know what to expect. This is part of a female journalist’s preparation. ● ear suitable protection euipment and apply the ballistic threat tips regarding flak jackets. Female journalists face problems if armed vests are not designed to fit a female body. ● Don’t reveal location and don’t offer secrets to any rival group. You report to your readers, listeners and viewers only. ● Try to be independent in your reporting.

How to work in areas controlled by radical religious armed militias:

● eview the history of relations with media. roups such as ISIS eliminate journalists who are not cooperating with them working undercover in their areas is advised. Be aware that what is published can reveal your identity. The father of a journalist that I knew in Syria was executed because of what the journalist published. ● rofile management should be done as described earlier. ender is a major issue here. It is your clothes, attitude, language, and culture. ● Be aware of general information about the local religion. This may protect you. As I mentioned in my story with ISIS, they asked me religious uestions at a checkpoint. ● Try not to be alone with a man in a car or a house. r try to prepare a convincing cover story. en are not allowed to be in any private place with women except close family members. ● ven if you are embedded with an army in areas that were previously controlled by ISIS, still be extra cautious of snipers, suicide bombers and unexploded devices. xample Sarah Noreldin survived a shot from an ISIS sniper in osul in August

. The rai soldier who was with her was shot. he saw the sniper and avoided the bullet. ● ever begin confrontations with them. uilding networs of alliances is essential.

aught in crossfire

hotojournalist our ely, the first yrian winner of one of ourage in ournalism Awards, was injured during her coverage of clashes in yria in . he was caught in crossfire, but she survived the attac and returned to wor with more awareness of ballistic threats. ersonally, was caught in crossfire many times and even injured. The one time can never forget, was the target, but someone else was shot instead. n northern ibya during the war, when there was fighting in the city of in aleed, made the mistae of travelling in a car used by armed fighters. The other side started to target our car and the fighters was with shot bac. Then , as a strange woman, became the target for the next shots, but the fighter next to me was hit. stopped the bleeding of the injured rebel, using the first aid it in my grabbag. owever, still feel guilty.

ere are some tips on ballistic threats ● or every action, there is a reaction. o be aware never stay beside someone who is shooting. arrying camera or being a journalist doesn’t make you invisible to shooters. ● ever carry a weapon. t will classify you as an armed person, not a journalist. And it will not protect you. ● e aware of the inds of weapons used in a place, their range short, medium and longrange weapons), users’ skills, and how to protect yourself from the respective weapons. ● lassify different inds of armed people and how to deal with each grouping. ● Armed vests and helmets should be used. Two concerns here one is that they may not be available to local journalists in

onlit ones, the other is that some armed vests are not designed to it a emale body. he ory ek rust direts reelaners how to get or rent vests and helmets and oers other saety advie and resoures. ● ournalists should always travel with a irstaid kit and know how to use it. ● he danger inreases beause you are a woman in a battleield. our eposure is high. ry to redue this by proile management to stay under the radar o people with weapons. ● ournalists may wish to learn and pratise skills to deter potential or ative attakers. he ous should be on de esalating an alteration, giving the journalist the time and opportunity to avoid onrontation and move away. eterrene may involve simple hand and body manoeuvres that rediret an assailant while providing an opportunity to move aside and away. uh skills reuire pratie, but even simple tehniues an be eetive under duress. ● If you can’t run and if the shooting is not directed at you, lie on the ground, ompletely still. ● ie insurane is important. ever travel without it. ory ek rust an help reelaners ind this.

Escape or surrender?

someone is shooting in your diretion, make your deision to esape or surrender i it is an option), based on the points below ● the kind o weapon threat or eample, mortars are dangerous because you can’t predict where they may land.) ● the range o the weaponshort, medium or long) ● the users’ experience of the weapon. Trained shooters or proessional soldiers are a serious threat.

httpsrorypektrust.orgresoures

● the number of armed people. or example, the accurate range for using is m, yet this range increases with a greater number of shooters. ● The intention of the threat. xample Is the shooting is oer heads to disperse a crowd or shooting to ill ● cultural considerations, as sometimes women wont be attaced in the field, while in other arenas women are targeted to humiliate the other side. Escape can mean: ● ying down and coering your head. This is the best option in crossfire or air stries. ● Trying to find a proper shelter, if aailable. ● unning as fast as possible in a igag toward coer. hoose this option if the best shot for the range of the weapon is less than your position, or if you udge that the person shooting is not experienced enough to shoot accurately. ● oo for suitable coer. nowing the capabilities of the weapons used can help you decide where it is suitable to hide. ● In a car, the strongest part that can protect you is behind the engine and the front wheel. I am taling here about short range weapons, of course. ● In airstrikes, remember that planes don’t make only one strike, and so they may come bac again. eer moe until the strie is completely oer.

. idnain and tntion

“Now, I can finally talk about my kidnapping. I survived this horrible experience,” said Afrah Shawky, the Irai ornalist ho as kidnapped in eember rom her home in ahdad in ront o her to hildren hroh the arie olin oraniation, I as iin expert support to Afrah’s family until she was freed. An armed group anted to disipline frah for calling it a ‘militia’ in her articles. The spport rah ot rom her olleaes and the international pressre led the rop to release her he as ond days ater the kidnappin, thron in ront o her home in a terrible state

bseently, she had to leave the country after receiving threats. “I as tramatised, bt then herished that my mission as a ornalist old be to ampain aainst iolations and kidnappin taretin emale ornalists I ish no oman o throh this eperiene,” she stressed

hymaa del is an yptian ornalist ho as detained by danese athorities hile reportin demonstrations in dan in he athorities denied knoin here she as ntil e ere srprised by the annonement that she old ae spyin asations hroh diplomati eorts beteen the to ontries hymaa as reed he mistake she made as pblishin a sensitie interie beore leain the ontry and sin aebook essener throh a net ae

hose are to eamples o bein kidnapped, one by an armed rop and the other, detained by athorities oeer, I hae heard many sh stories rom my trainees in omalia, Ira, yria, ieria and hanistan

In terms o lassiiation, there are three kinds o motiations or kidnappin riminal, politial, and terrorist he motiations do mi,

65 especially in South American countries. There are planned and opportunistic kidnappings. Techniues differ according to locations. owever, I will try to sum up some points found in safety manuals and reported experiences.

“Don’t be the easy target,” a female South African journalist told us during training. ‘Easy’ means unprepared so that you make yourself the target because you have not estimated and mitigated risks. See profile management and risk assessment. idnappers, especially the opportunist type, can be deterred if you are seen to be cautious.

The same advice came from other ournalists in South America and conflict areas in the iddle ast and Asia, where kidnapping became a profitable business. omen are more targeted. Authorities usually detain or arrest.

ow to avoid being kidnapped

stimate the threat of being kidnappeddetained in a risk assessment. ● rofile potential kidnappersdetainers. ● nderstand when you are vulnerable. Ask yourself what do you have and what do others need from you It might be a ransom, information, data, or pressure to do something or to put pressure on others. ● ow might your gender, race, profession, make you a potential victim ● educe your exposure through profile management. See rofile anagement, chapter . ● evelop your skills of situational awareness and surveillance recognition. Always be alert and observant. se your senses. ● obility and travel planning control your movements and always update one trusted person about your movement plan. ommunication lan, chapter ● Don’t move alone and avoid empty places.

● ever publish your travel plans on acebook or any social media. Digital and Euipment Safety, chapter ● Avoid folloing certain routines that the kidnappers might predict. ● f seriously concerned, change here you spend your night. ● e diligent in vetting local support staff, seek recommendations from colleagues. ● or arrest cases, alays memorie the phone number of your layer. noledge of relevant local la is essential.

Kidnapping moment o accurate safety manual can tell you eactly hat to do at the moment of kidnapping. t is a very delicate moment and things can develop uickly and dramatically. Some people have resisted, then escaped, and some ere harmed hile trying this. thers surrendered. e have to leave that to your on evaluation, according to the situation. sually professional kidnappers are more determined to keep you unharmed. hey have kidnapped you for a value that they ant realied. Some tips on rape from hapter might be useful.

Survival during kidnapping

emember that outside strength starts from inside you. sychosocial safety is the ay to master your physical safety.

Tips on how to survive: ● Control your emotions. Stop blaming yourself. t is ok to be afraid, but don’t collapse. You need your mental health to function ell. ● Think positively. Don’t think your life has ended, because you have survived until this moment. hink of your loved ones and think that you ill certainly be ith them again. e sure that you ill be released. f you are religious, this is the time to

dra on your faith. Your memories and the dreams you ant to achiee are part of positie thinkin. ● Create a routine. ctiate your mind by creatin details of your day. riter ho as kidnapped thouht of ritin a noel hilst a hostae. e as not alloed to rite, so he kept it all in his mind. hen he desined a coer for the book and then imained that he ould buy a house and thouht of the details of the house. ater he as released and achieed all these dreams. ● Be observant. ry to understand hat is surroundin you. ry to uess here you are. ho are the captors hat are their moties, points of strenth and eakness hat are their routines his information miht be useful later. ● Dealing with your captors: this starts ith your attitude. eer challenge your captors, but don’t be too submissive. Try to see their human side. Treat them with respect. Don’t argue with them about politics or reliion. ry to deal ith them to surie this situation. en if you feel you understand their cause, remember that you are not there to support them by choice they kidnapped you. his reality should be clear in your head. mental illness was called the ‘Stockholm Syndrome’, after hostaes eperienced a symbiosis ith their kidnappers in a day hostae situation durin a bank robbery in eden in . ● Negotiate for better captivity conditions. ood and hyiene are important. eer refuse the food. f you can persuade them to improe the uality, this ould be reat. ample hen haymaa del as imprisoned in udan, hile coerin demonstrations there, she thouht of oin on a huner strike as a protest aainst her arrest. he realied this ould only affect her physical and mental health. he decided not to do it. ● Gender consideration is important. eotiate for your priacy as a oman. e aare of the daner of seual assaults. t is a danerous situation because you are under their control.

owever, use your social intelligence to find protection from one of the captors. ● You may be asked to make a statement. Say what they tell you.

To escape or not? ● ever try to escape without calculating the risk and the price of failure. ● Start by noting the routines of the kidnappers to look for weak points. ● ollect information about the location of your room in the building and the building’s location relative to safety. ● onsider your health capability and the conseuences of failure.

To negotiate for a kidnapped colleague… ● ook for a good negotiator unless you have the local cultural and political knowledge and skills to handle it yourself. ● sk for a proof of life. ● aintain emotional control.

egotiation skills ● stablish the demands and negotiate them. ● nform the authorities, but be cautious about what you make public, because some information might harm the hostage. ● se public pressure wisely and only when absolutely needed.

rrested during coverage

irginity and pregnancy tests are violations two of the female ournalists trained faced in two iddle astern authoritarian countries. They asked to stay anonymous because of the stigma their society might put on them. The ournalists were arrested during coverage of demonstrations and, before detention, faced one of the

to huiliating rocedures. he ilitary olice in the to countries clai that they do that to counter any clais that the oen ere raed during detention

ou should no your rights if detained during your or. ● ou usually have the right to reain silent and to be assisted by a coetent and indeendent layer of your choice. ● ou have the right not to be subect to torture intiidation deceit and other fors of coercive harassent. ● ou have the right to be infored of these rights and to be told that anything you say ay be used against you in court. ● f you are detained you ust be treated as a huan being and are entitled to due rocess. ● When being questioned don’t be defiant and don’t be challenging. hile aiting try to aear confident and dignified. ost interrogators in nondeocratic countries can use their liitless authority and inflict hysical har on you. et there is anecdotal evidence that interrogators ay be less harsh on eole ho aintain their dignity. When returning from detention or kidnapping, a person needs … ● edical care. ● union ith faily or loved ones. ● to give authorities a briefing. ● traua treatent even if the erson says she is fine.

. or toris and scosocial aft

s noted aboe eoting on a onfit o ioene an aso affet ou shosoia heath – atiua hen getting ose to daaged itiens n the ain the best otetions ae offeed b aing the ens of ethia ounais uanit is one of the fie oe inies of an W atne oganisation the thia ounais eto “Journalists should do no harm” is a key principle behind the advice hih foos

eaing ith uios

“Treat them as survivors, not as victims” advises Tunisian investigative ounaist anene eis ho ies in udistan in the noth of aq e eots about aidi udish gis ho ee taen b sai tate iitia in the sue of ee based on inteies ith gis and oen ho had been idnaed he ee taen as saes to fightes in ia and aq hee the ee subet to ae and othe ioene befoe being onsod

he ationa nion of ounaists in the states a siia guideline: “In the case of an attack that has not resulted in death, do not use the word ‘victim’ unless the woman selfidentifies as one f she has survived the attack, she is a ‘survivor’.” iia the foe igh oissione fo uan ights a obinson tod a W iennia onfeene that efugees ae not itis – the ae suios disaed b ioent onfit

ips on nterieing uriors

thia ounais eto – ie oe inies of ounais httsnuogudouentsnuguideinesonioeneagainst oen

This is compiled from the art entre for Trauma, a global network of ournalists, ournalist trainers and health professionals dedicated to improving media coverage of trauma and conflicts, and the personal eperiences of female ournalists.

● Interviewing victims is different from interviewing public figures such as politicians and state employees. ictims have no obligation to answer uestions. pproach them with respect and eplain why the interview matters. ● Identify yourself clearly as a ournalist and say where and how you intend to publish the interview. Make sure they don’t think that you work for a humanitarian organization and don’t make promises of assistance which you can’t fulfil. ● evelop your skill of active, nonudgmental listening. ● Take into consideration the crisis this person has been through. e humane. ● Treat them respectfully, but do not be too afraid to ask about their eperiences. Journalists walk a fine line, aiming to be sensitive but not timid. ● Never ask “How do you feel?” or say “I understand how you must be feeling.” It is best to simply introduce yourself and say “I am sorry for your loss/what happened.” ● tart by comforting the person as much as possible. nd use open uestions that gently prod them into telling their story. ● ind common ground to gain their trust. ample: in the iddle ast, people accept their fate due to their religious and cultural concepts. ● ive victims a sense of control. sk if they would be more comfortable sitting or standing or whether they would like to go somewhere more private to talk. ample: a woman

art entre for Journalism and Trauma: http:www.dartcenter.org

suffering from domestic violence or rape can’t talk about this in front of her family. ● If publishing the victim’s name would cause harm, use a false name. ake care when filming even if only doing hand shots her ewellery may be recognisable.

he following applies to most survivors of violence but is particularly important in cases of seual violence • eua ioene is assoiated ith high degrees of sefame, guit and shame void any language that might imply the interviewee is responsible in some way. e careful of asking “why” questions. • Don’t be surprised if accounts only make partial sense Frequently survivors of sexual violence ‘shut down’ emotionally their recall may be fragmentary they may even block out an event entirely. hey struggle in making sense of what happened. • eer sa ou kno ho the fee – you don’t. • nd the interie e sk them if they would like to add anything else. ring the conversation back into the things that the interviewee finds safe speaking about.

It is also important to address the uestion of how you are personally dealing with hearing such survivor stories.

overing iolence gainst omen and irls

iolence gainst omen and irls is a collective term for human rights abuses or crimes relating to women because they are women e.g. female genital mutilation or which disproportionately affect women and girls e.g. rape and domestic violence.

It also includes but is not limited to: sexual assault, ‘honour’ based violence forced marriage se trafficking forced prostitution and

sexual harassment. overing such stories through the stories of survivors can be harrowing for reporters from the very start.

“The first obstacle starts within the newsroom” says lyaa bou hahba, an gyptian ournalist, highlighting the challenges women ournalists face when reporting issues. “Patriarchy is not a man. It is a system that everyone contributes to,” she explains. Alyaa’s investigative reports about ‘female genital mutilation’ shocked the society with stories of female victims. FGM is deemed to be a violation of the human rights of girls by the orld ealth rganisation, amongst others, but lyaa had to convince the management of her media house that the issue was important and needed further coverage.

hose stories involve fear and danger. ictims are afraid to report and while in some cases being a woman eases your entry to private clinics that conduct F, lyaa recommends some precautions for reducing the dangers: • o with trusted people who are known to the doctors who commit this illegal act. • se your risk planning: a good communication plan with the office. lyaa also recommends coordination with someone in the neighbourhood. • he golden rule is to leave once the reporter has enough information.

utting an argument to management about stories – whether yours or those of your colleagues can be informed by some of these guiding aims which are based on an outline by the : ● Frame violence against women and girls as gender equality and humanrights abuse stories, rather than as a ‘mishap’, ‘bad relationship’ or the consequence of women undertaking activities that would be unremarkable for men walking alone, being out after dark, drinking in a bar, etc..

● ake care not to contribute to the sexualisation of women and girls in the media. ● ake care not to imply that a survivor of genderbased violence might be to blame for the violence, nor assume that any of her behaviour or dress might have triggered the abuse. ● Do not refer to abusers as ‘monsters’, ‘fiends’, ‘maniacs’ or ‘beasts’ to bolster the myth that abusers are noticeably and substantially different from ‘normal’ men. ● onsider reporting more fully on prosecutions of those accused of violence against women, as well as women’s success in recovering and rebuilding their lives.

onor illin is another maor issue which raises safety issues in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and some Arab and African countries, where such murders originated, as well as in urope, the and other countries where women might have assumed they were safe. I heard many stories, during my training sessions, from female ournalists who cover those stories and then receive threats from the families of the women.

“Banaz A Love Story” is an Emmy and Peabody award winning film by eeyah han. It was a documentary about an honour killing crime that happened in the nited ingdom. An Iraqi urdish ritish girl was killed by her family and her body put in a suitcase because she dared to ask for divorce from a husband who continuously tortured her. o one helped ena except the female police officer who investigated her murder case and eeyah han, the film director who spent months making the film. eeyah understood Benaz’s case as she herself was born in orway to a Pakistani father and Afghan mother. Although living in urope, threats reached han from her Pakistani community. Her parents couldn’t protect her, and she had to leave for Britain. eeyah han became an example of how female ournalists and filmmakers can make a difference by their work. he spoke out to give

voice to voiceless women. Her credibility increased because of her personal bacground.

However, the threat is greatest to local women ournalists who report such stories. I heard more than one such story, but can’t report them for safety reasons.

Even if your physical safety is not threatened, as mentioned above, reporting seual violence can be traumatic for all participants. he Dart Centre warns that reporters should not “…. underestimate how your own reactions to traumatic detail can influence the conversation.” In interviews, it suggests “if you are finding the material challenging, acnowledge that silently to yourself, and bring your focus bac to what is being said.“

Be aware of your own delayed reactions to hearing such stories. t is natural for women to feel empathy for the survivor of this type of attac, which is a threat to all of us. ollow the guidelines below for dealing with a trauma, if needed.

Selfcare and dealing with trauma

“I can’t go to any shopping mall even here in London,” says a Kenyan ournalist who survived the terrorist attac on the mall in airobi. She had the courage to cover the attac then help the victims, but is suffering from the trauma even after relocating to Europe.

Some of my former Syrian female trainees who now live as refugees in Europe told me that fireworks at New Year’s Eve upset them. It reminded them of the airstries bac home. he priority when eperiencing danger is to survive the uncontrolled reaction often comes once you are safe.

ournalist should also understand that reactions to threat and danger can vary. he should know that channelling her reactions in crisis situations into behaviour that can help rather than harm, is not necessarily dealing with the trauma.

Leslee dwin, an award winner ritish filmmaker, was subected to harassment in . owever, interviewing a rapper while shooting her documentary “India’s daughters” (2014) triggered her trauma. nce she finished the interview she called her year old daughter to find relief and overcome the situation. Leslee didn’t know her limits, however she tried to mitigate herself and manage her reaction.

ractical suggestions from the art Centre ● Know your limits. ● Keep life as normal as possible. ● alk about the incident and your feelings with someone you trust. ● Eat regularly and get enough sleep when possible. ● If distressed, seek professional help from a mental health trauma counsellor.

o not ● isolate yourself. ● bottle up your emotions. ● drink alcohol or caffeine in ecess. ● go without sleep or eating for long periods of time.

ow colleagues can help each other ● Take time to let someone who’s been through a bad time tell their story. ● sk them openended uestions. Listen to what they want to say. Don’t interrupt or come back with your own experiences. ● Don’t tell them you know how they feel. You can’t.

● Don’t put down their experience or imply they only need to pull themselves together. ● ever be udgmental.

mployers ● ree and confidential counselling should be available for women – and men – who wish to use it after experiencing conflict or other traumatic events. ● reelancers deserve the same support as their staff colleagues. If it is not provided, try the ory eck Trust.

. tical saft dcisions

o report or not

o tory i worth dyin or nd tht pplie to your ource much to you the reporter

hireen rhim i urdih yrin rdio ournlit who decided not to ir n interiew ecue it would cue the ource to e hrmed he source didn’t estimte the thret well nd wnted to e on the record Later the source thanked her for protecting her life by that decision. “I would have not been able to live with that guilt,” Shireen says.

o report or not to report hi i common uetion m ed while conductin trinin epecilly y loclly ed emle ournlit t i ometime n ethicl uetion nd ety uetion in other ce enerlly conlict enitie reportin i reuired or oth cteorie en i it i purely ethicl uetion the coneuence will inluence your pychoocil ety

estions to answer before eciin whether to blish the tory importnt to the pulic interet e o to next uetion there omeone who will e hrmed coneuence o thi tory ye o to re there lterntie to not pulihin the tory nwer i o o to n the hrm tht would e cued y pulihin e reduced o o to the lt uetion n deend my deciion to myel nd eeryone ele e then pulih

or photos or fil, generally, take the photofootage if it is safe to do so and then decide whether to publish by answering the sae uestions. lways be aware of the conseuences of what you publish for yourself and for others.

Interview terrorists or not

Interviewing terrorists can shock the public, who often think it indecent, and it can antagonise the authorities, who are tepted to denounce edia coplicity. S recently published the handbook rrorism and t dia, written by eanaul artho. he following are tips from the chapter “To Interview or not to Interview?”

Ultimately, the choice mainly depends on each media house’s editorial policy, but there are soe basic rules upon which ost edia agree . eain copletely in control of the ournalistic ission, and refuse any liits on uestioning that the terrorist group would like to set. 2. Favour a documentary or ‘auteur article’ format over a conventional uestionand answer interview, which provides less scope for the introduction of contet, copleity, or corrections to the stateents of the interviewees. . learly and transparently eplain to the public the reasons for which the interview was reuested and the conditions in which it was conducted. . orrect the false or fallacious stateents that ay have been uttered by the interviewees and give voice to the other players involved authorities, victis, etc.

In many cases the female journalist’s gender, race, and religion reflects on the feedback others direct to her story. his has becoe obvious lately in terrorist stories.

aroline ael is a optic hristian gyptian ournalist covering religious and inority issues in the iddle ast. fter covering the

80 latest omings of churches y an II terrorist group and doing relevant interviews, she faced threats and criticism from oth uslims and hristians. Those who threatened or criticied her confused her identity as a hristian woman with her jo as a professional journalist. ome online attacs stooped to provoing hate speech.

eport or help?

ocal journalists who are covering conflicts near their homes face this uestion most often. owever, the rule of not eing part of the event you are covering is challenged for all reporters when they feel that they should e involved in rescuing victims or colleagues or facing down human rights violations. alestinian journalist was traumatied because she didn’t stay to help a colleague during an airstrike on Gaza in 2. he lames herself for running to leave the uilding without locating her colleague first.

The most difficult to convince of the rule that they should not involve themselves in the events they are covering were the iddle astern female journalists. ost of them witnessed the uprisings, revolutions, and wars nown in the west as the ra pring and the violent aftermath, and ecame very emotionally involved.

The gyptian female journalist ora ounis was ale to mae the hard choice. he was covering the infamous gyptian police cracdown on demonstrators on asr l ile ridge on the 2 anuary 2. er mother, son and husand, were among the demonstrators. he new that she couldn’t find them among thousands and there were no moile networs that day to locate and help them. he could have left trying desperately to help. It was a hard decision, ut she stayed and filmed the only eisting video that showed how hundreds of civilians were rutally illed efore entering Tahrir uare.

“So many things happened in history, only those which were coered and published are the ones we know about,” Nora said in explanation of her decision, stressing that “This is why the role of journalists is so important.”

onsierations before tain the ecision to be inole s helin the erson who is attace oin to t me in aner f it is more probable you both would be inured or die if you try, then don’t do it. Call for help and report the violation instead re there others who are rescin ictims f people are doing rescue work concentrate on your ob as a ournalist and coer the eent lthough a akistani female ournalist told me sometimes she helps female ictims if cultural and religious gender considerations preent male rescuers assisting f there is no one to hel is there a moment to tae the hoto his is not only an ethical issue but also a safety one ein arter won a ulitzer prize for a photo of a udanese girl who was dying while a ulture stood nearby during the ast frica famine of he outh frican ournalist was unable to answer questions about the girl’s fate, although he said he had scared the bird away idespread criticism of what iewers thought he had done was belieed to be a contributing factor to his suicide a year later

. Lal aft

“How can I prove she said this? I was changing the battery of the recorder when she said it and now she denies!” said Hoda Rashwan. Her female source said in the interview that “wearing a scarf is not a religious obligation”. That was considered against an article in law protecting faith. s ice resident of the gyptian ournalists Syndicate in , attended the investigation with oda, who was in her last month of pregnancy. f she had been convicted, she would have faced at least two years in prison or a large fine. She was saved from that, but such legal cases are common.

ike their male colleagues, many female journalists face legal threats. ere are some general tips to journalists ● egal awareness is essential. ou should read relevant laws and amendments, as well as relevant clauses applicable to journalistic work. ● lways keep records of what your sources say. f they refuse to be recorded, write your story, then let them revise and sign. emember that sources may deny what they said. ● e aware of libel and defamation legislation and the massive variation from one country to another. e especially aware of religious law and laws relating to royalty. ● Keep a lawyer’s number in your pocket to call when necessary. Some press syndicates and unions provide legal services to members. ● n the absence of ombudspersons, or legal departments within media houses, some international journalist organiations, such as the ory eck Trust, can provide legal advice to freelancers. egal training is important if available.

● aws differ between countries. or eample as mentioned above on the issue of selfprotection in weden pepper spray is considered a weapon and therefore possession is forbidden unless you have a weapons license. ● Women’s rights and legal issues differ between countries. For example, in Saudi Arabia women don’t have the right to drive.

hat can managers do?

ccording to your location be aware of journalists’ rights, especially regarding women.

ften labour law can be your best friend. In the K the Health and afety at ork ct reuires employers to ensure the health safety and welfare of their employees. imilar provisions apply in ustralia. In such countries the employer has an obligation to ensure that any potential risk of violence is eliminated or controlled. mployers are reuired to consider the risks facings their staff and decide how these can be prevented or controlled and to develop clear guidelines on how to achieve this. arger state media corporations such as the and and many uropean broadcasters do have such guidelines for reporters in the field.

The conseuence of the attacks on media women globally is to undermine the work of women ournalists and is a media freedom issue. Therefore the safety of women ournalists is an issue that managers and media unions should and many do take up as an issue.

I will always remember an gyptian female colleague who was sitting alone in a dark room writing her work in a state of trauma. ot only had she eperienced seually violent attacks targeting female ournalists and activists during a demonstration in Tahrir uare but her male colleagues made fun of her being harassed. he wanted to continue working to prove that she was ualified to do her ob. he

84 was one of several female journalists met when was ice resident of the gyptian ournalists Syndicate who refused to officially report assaults and violations because they were afraid of losing their jobs or being stigmatised.

Women journalists should be encouraged to discuss their needs for support and protection with their colleagues and managers to ensure that they are met. hey can do this directly and through journalists’ unions and other civil society organiations.

t is important to stress that in addition to violations that may happen inside the office, there are some discriminatory practices that impact women journalists. For example, the ‘bar culture’ in some countries and the ‘coffee culture’ in others are often male dominated. Usually male reporters can socialie with their managers. his reflects on their wor positively. Women with multiple social responsibilities often don’t have this advantage. This is why having fair office rules and transparency is important.

Managers should take into consideration that women journalists’ experience of parenting can be very different from that of their male colleagues, and that this needs acnowledging. A colleague from South Africa persuaded her manager to acnowledge some rights of young mothers in her media organiation. he pressure on female journalists during this stage of their lives pushes them to tae riss to prove themselves, or leave the field.

he following is a list of what managers can do or provide n the office • eual employment rights and opportunities to women journalists. • awareness of the unnecessary pressure women can experience to prove that they can do the job. ournalists should never fear reporting gender based violence experienced on the job.

• t must be made explicitly clear to everyone that sexual harassment and uninvited sexual advances are unacceptable. Male bosses should be aware of, and acknowledge, the threat and fear of rape. • eveloping a workplace policy on domestic violence in consultation with the employer will clearly demonstrate that domestic violence is not tolerated within or outside the workplace. The ational Union of ournalists U has suggestions for such a policy. • nsure a safe working environment by making it clear that personal details of staff are to be kept confidential. • espect female social roles. inda, a journalist from outh frica campaigned with her colleagues to get the right to breastfeed their babies by having a small room on the premises.

or ornalists reortin on war an conflict • afety training for staff who are likely to go into a hostile environment, including first aid and knowledge of the dangers involved in conflict areas. • ostile environment training courses should directly address women’s needs – which will in turn help raise awareness among their male colleagues. • Training in selfdefence to women journalists, including freelancers. • isk assessment and follow up with women journalists reporting on conflict – whether embedded or in the field. • roviding suitable safety euipment, such as flak vests designed to fit women, and helmets.

U uidance on omestic iolence as a workplace issue. httpswww.nuj.org.ukdocumentsnujguidanceondomesticviolenceas aworkplaceissue

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n Conclsion

This handbook is not about one woman’s experience, but about the oee eeene o mn women onss o e o o eon enes s ssessmen oe mnemen son nd d weness nd se n on w o s o o se dneos sons s enned

owee e ne o sons ed women onss ond e oe s s

s we s ose wose ees do no se ende sed oe ssmen e me en onss wo eded ms n w on on n ode o e nn o ss on o oees o

we known internationa ournaists who died in situations which the thouht the coud manae, suriors o kidnap and imprisonment, women who reported on maor disasters without knowin i their own amiies had suried, underresourced communit radio reporters who put themsees at risk b exposin miitar atrocities or corruption b iin a oice to the peope who are threatened, and emae ournaists who continue work ater suriin rapes, miscarriaes and the trauma o witnessin deaths

hae been er impressed and humbed b eer one o these proessiona women rom so man countries, who do a ob that matters The T is proud to be abe to put their coectie experiences toether in this handbook desined to improe the saet o women who continue to coer important stories

Throuh the support T receied rom and orsk ournaista, we were abe to prepare this handbook pecia thanks shoud o to onee ash and ronwen iht or editin and prooreadin and to oaa ad or the enerous contribution o her iustrations

When we started this task, we didn’t start from scratch. We know that there are man reat reerences and studies and we hae reerenced some o them we hope this handbook buids on that and miht be useu to ou in our work e aso inite ou to share an persona experience or adice which ou think woud add aue to an uture editions o this handbook ontact beer aad abeersaadmaicom or webournaistiawrtor

ten the reait in our business is that it is ast work at short notice, so we hope this is a ap with a uick and eas read on the wa to our next assinment

sfl Lins

ommittee to rotect ornaists httwww.c.or art entre for ornaism and rama httdartcenter.or nternationa ssociation of Women in adio and eeision www.iawrt.or thica ornaism etwork httethicaornaismnetwork.or nternationa risis ro httwww.crisiswe.or nternationa ociet for ramatic tress tdies httwww.istss.or nternationa entre for ornaists httwww.icf.or nternationa ederation of ornaists www.if.or nternationa esearch and chanes oard https://www.irex.org/ nternationa ews afet nstitte httwww.newssafet.cominde.htm arie oin oraniation for women ornaists httsmariecoinnetwork.oren nternationa Women in edia ondation httwww.iwmf.or onter nstitte for edia tdies httwww.onter.or eorters Withot orders htten.rsf.or or eck rst for freeance ornaists www.roreck.or he nternationa Women nternationa ews afet nstitte httwww.newssafet.com www.nesco.or Women www.nwomen.or

cronms

ritish roadcastin ororation ae ews etwork ased ssidiar of ime Warner thica ornaism etwork oa ditors etwork he nternationa ews afet nstitte samic tate in ra and ria ihadi oraniation, or nternationa esearch and chanes oard IWMF The International Women’s Media Foundation orsk ornaista orweian nion of ornaists ationa nion of ornaists Reporters Sans Frontières (eorters Withot orders short messae serice hone tet messaes nited ations nited ations conomic, cientific and tra oranisation W ioence aainst women and irs