The research “Safety of Women Journalists in Bosnia and Herzegovina” was conducted with the aim of determining the existing legal framework for the protection of women journalists from professional and gender-based violence, analyzing available protection and support measures for women journalists and their application in practice, the experiences of women journalists who have experienced violence, as well as making recommendations for improving the safety of women journalists in our country. The methodology of the report included desk research, analysis of the relevant legal framework in BiH and international conventions, analysis of institutional practice, and data collection through focus groups and interviews with journalists, editors, representatives of institutions, as well as NGOs and legal experts in this field.
Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has comprehensive legislation on criminal liability, protection from discrimination, prevention of violence and gender equality. However, BiH does not have a law that would protect and provide support to victims of gender-based violence other than domestic violence. BiH also does not have a law that would protect journalists on the basis of their profession.
Several laws adopted at the state, entity and Brčko District levels define issues that directly or indirectly relate to the status of journalists, but none of them protect journalists for the work they do. In addition to domestic legislation in this area, BiH has adopted and ratified all the most important international documents for gender equality, protection of women and protection from violence. Although it was the sixth state to adopt and ratify the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention), to date BiH has not managed to fully harmonize its legislation with this Convention.
Women journalists in BiH experience violence on a daily basis. They experience it both in the field and in their newsrooms – in the form of physical threats, psychological harassment and online violence – with a distinct gender-based component. Women journalists are often exposed to violence both because of their profession and because of their gender.
In the period from the beginning of 2021 to the end of 2024, which is the period analyzed by this research, 129 attacks on journalists and other security risks were reported in BiH. Of these, 32 attacks were directed directly at journalists, and 18 at groups of journalists. These attacks relate exclusively to threats to the safety of journalists registered in the SafeJournalists database, and do not include cases with elements of gender-based violence and threats to professional and labor rights, such as defamation lawsuits and SLAPPs, labor disputes, mobbing, discrimination, and the like, registered within the database of the Journalists Help Line – FMHL. Among the security attacks, the most common were verbal attacks and online threats, but some of them also include destruction of equipment/property, physical attacks or even hitting, and the people from whom journalists feel most threatened are politicians and people involved in criminal activities that may be threatened by investigative journalism.
However, the actual number of attacks is far higher because female journalists often do not decide to report the attacks they experience, and most of them are not even aware of the protection and support measures available to them, which include free legal and, if necessary, psychological assistance. The research showed that female journalists most often do not decide to report an attack due to distrust in the system, but also an unwillingness to be perceived as victims.
Based on a detailed analysis of the aforementioned legislative framework, organizing focus groups with female journalists and editors of several media outlets in BiH, and interviews with female journalists, representatives of competent institutions and non-governmental organizations, the following recommendations were established for improving safety, as well as improving protection and support measures for female journalists in BiH.
Recommendations for media and media organizations:
Media organizations should conduct campaigns on social media to raise awareness among female journalists about the risks they are exposed to and how to act when an incident occurs.
Media outlets and organizations should advocate for better legal regulation of online violence to reduce attacks on journalists.
Media outlets should develop gender-based policies to promote equality and establish mechanisms against gender-based discrimination within newsrooms.
Media organizations should advocate for better alignment of domestic legislation with international mechanisms.
Media organizations should advocate for legal changes that would provide journalists with the status of persons performing work of public importance, and thus protect them legally.
Recommendations for institutions:
Given that most violence against women journalists occurs online, institutions should regulate online violence through relevant laws and ensure their harmonization at all levels.
Institutions should strengthen the implementation of laws on protection from gender-based violence.
Institutions should further harmonize domestic legislation with international instruments for protection from gender-based violence in order to increase protection and support systems for victims of gender-based violence.
Institutions should amend criminal legislation to define the status of journalists and prevent their exposure to violence.
This document has been produced with the financial support of the European Union. The content of this document is the sole responsibility of the BH Journalists Association and can under no circumstances be considered to reflect the views of the European Union.
The research “Safety of Women Journalists in Bosnia and Herzegovina” was supported within the framework of the “Safejournalists.net” support program.
You can read the complete research in English here.
