"The safety of female journalists is not just protection from attacks": Call for specialized training on November 15th.

Jovana Gligorijević emphasizes that the safety of female journalists is not just about protection from attacks, threats, and other risks to their physical or online safety.

“The safety of female journalists also pertains to the well-being of all of us in our workplaces, in experiences that are authentically ours, as women in the media profession. Therefore, I suggest you come to the ANEM workshop on November 15, which will address the safety of female journalists from a different perspective, where we create a safe, female space for journalists, sharing our most intimate experiences that remain within our women's circle. We open up issues, but we also look at how to close them, how to create alliances, and how to support one another,” states Gligorijević while announcing the second training session.

She adds that when female journalists gather, they discuss not only work-related topics but also everything that comes with the job – from pressures to how to preserve themselves.

“That’s why we created a workshop on the safety of female journalists, but above all, a space for exchanging experiences, stories, and support. This is not just another workshop where you passively sit and listen to lectures,” notes Gligorijević.

Some of the comments from participants of the first training included: "I didn’t even realize how much I needed this." "It’s not just educational, it’s healing," and "A liberating experience, almost like psychotherapy."

Sofija Vukaljlović, a journalist from the Fonet agency who attended the first training, assesses that workshops on the safety of female journalists are extremely important.

“More than 50 percent of those employed in media are women. Female media workers experience violence not only in the field while reporting but also very often in their newsrooms. When your editor says – that’s not a topic for you, you’re too young, or when your boundaries are pushed because that’s how the job is, that is all violence,” emphasizes Vukajlović and calls on her colleagues to register for the training on November 15.

Journalist Jovana Đurđić from Vreme states that the workshop she participated in, led by Ana Manojlović and Jovana Gligorijević, was truly different from other lectures and workshops she has attended.

“First of all, it was characterized by openness, interactivity, sincerity, and a rich exchange of experiences. I gained a real sense that we are there for each other, as journalists and media workers, but through conversation, I also learned many practical things and received advice that will be valuable in my future work. I believe we all left the workshop with more confidence and the feeling that we are not alone in the challenges that this job entails. I would really love for as many women in our profession as possible to participate in such workshops, as it will benefit them both professionally and personally,” Đurđić conveys.

The training on November 15 will be the second of ten sessions that will be held until the end of 2026, organized by ANEM as part of the "System for the Prevention of Violence and Protection of Journalists" project, supported by the European Union, the Kingdom of Norway, and the Balkan Democracy Fund, as well as the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications.

Female journalists, editors, photographers, and camerawomen working in Belgrade newsrooms can apply via email at anem@anem.org.rs.

By the end of the project, another training session is planned in Belgrade and seven in other cities in Serbia for female journalists in local media, with dates to be announced later.

In recent years, ANEM has successfully organized general safety training for journalists in over 20 cities across Serbia. Aware of the rising trend of attacks on female journalists and the multifaceted threats to their safety, in collaboration with members of the group Women Journalists Against Violence, training tailored specifically for female journalists and other media workers has been developed.