NUNS: Female Journalists in Serbia Increasingly Exposed to Violence and Discrimination – Institutions Must Provide Effective Protection

In the Safejournalists database, NUNS recorded a total of 15 actual physical attacks on female journalists, 34 threats to life and physical safety, and 17 cases of other threats and harassment against female journalists that jeopardize their safety from 2021 to 2024. According to the same data, the number of all types of attacks on female journalists in 2025 has clearly increased – the total number of recorded attacks and threats over the previous three years amounts to 66, while by mid-November alone, 56 cases have been recorded, including 24 physical attacks, 21 death threats, and 11 other threats that jeopardize the safety of female journalists. Female journalists are particularly vulnerable to online threats, including sexual harassment. Nevertheless, the Special Prosecutor's Office for High-Tech Crime does not demonstrate an adequate understanding of this type of harassment, as it often fails to recognize the elements of a criminal offense necessary for prosecution ex officio, nor does it treat such behavior as a criminal offense at all.

NUNS research indicates that female journalists do not believe that mere formal adherence to regulations and codes can protect them. Safety is only possible where strong institutions consistently uphold female journalists' right to perform their work in accordance with the law. For this reason, they place more trust in public protection and solidarity among colleagues than in institutional protection. It is particularly concerning that female journalists in smaller communities face additional pressures, while psychological and legal support remains insufficiently accessible.

Some respondents pointed out discriminatory behavior within the newsrooms themselves, ranging from inappropriate comments based on physical appearance, gender, and sex to unequal treatment and advancement opportunities.

NUNS's recommendations clearly indicate the need to improve the legal framework and institutional protection for female journalists and journalists, including amendments to the Criminal Code and the Misdemeanor Law to introduce additional protection, especially regarding criminal acts of stalking and sexual harassment committed against female journalists. It is essential for relevant institutions to act more effectively with a gender-sensitive approach, strengthen solidarity within the journalistic community, and exchange domestic and international best practices.

There is also a need for a systematic strengthening of local media, as well as the utilization of mechanisms before the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality in cases of gender discrimination (e.g., unequal pay for the same job).

On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, NUNS calls on colleagues, media houses, civil society organizations, and institutions to support efforts to enhance the safety of female journalists. We invite you to sign the SafeJournalists Declaration on Enhancing the Safety of Female Journalists in the Western Balkans, so that we can clearly highlight the aforementioned problems faced by female journalists in their work.

You can read the text of the declaration at this link.

Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia