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National Union of JournalistsThe experiences of women journalists in Somalia and calls for the release of a journalist in Bangladesh feature.
Journalist’s arrest
Bangladesh: the NUJ joins the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) in condemning the imprisonment of Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, calling for his immediately release.
The IFJ reports the decision to detain the journalist as “tied to a murder case filed at the Jatrabari Police Station on 26 August, 2024, regarding a death during the July 2024 uprising.” Read more on the case and on recent assaults against journalists in Dhaka.
The IFJ said:
“The IFJ condemns the detention of Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury.Journalists must not be criminalised or targeted for their reporting, irrespective of its political alignment. The IFJ calls on the authorities to drop these charges, ensure Chowdhury’s safety and medical care in custody, and halt the ongoing judicial harassment of media workers.”
Journalists’ safety
Somalia: publication of Unsafe, Underpaid and Unheard this week, reveals only 10 per cent of 127 respondents interviewed feel safe at work.
The report details sexual harassment disguised as mentoring, with opportunities aimed at supporting professional development instead used to wield power and pressure women employees into sexual relationships.
Leveraging family relations and social reputation to threaten women
The report states:
One of the more distinctive dimensions of women’s occupational vulnerability in Somalia is the deliberate use of family relationships and social reputation as instruments of intimidation. Women journalists explained that harassment sometimes spills beyond the confines of the workplace or the wider professional sector with perpetrators attempting to undermine their standing within their families and communities.
Exploitation through contract terms is also raised in the report, with many journalists stating freelance contracts were often issued despite work undertaken being the same as those directly employed as permanent employees. Doing so, allows organisations to avoid responsibilities, “while maintaining a larger and more flexible workforce.”
Read the report.
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