The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its Gender Council have celebrated the resilience, commitment, and courage of women journalists who, despite threats and intimidation, keep on reporting. The IFJ also demanded justice for women journalists who have been targeted for doing their job, in commemoration of the 2026 edition of the International Women’s Day (IWD).
To mark the IWD on March 8, 2026, the IFJ gathered a series of testimonies from women journalists who kept on reporting despite the threats and having experienced severe acts of violence for their work. It celebrated those who dedicate their lives to fighting impunity, holding those in power to account, and striving for fully informed societies and robust democracies.
The IFJ featured the testimonies of nine women journalists from around the globe in an interactive map titled “Still they report: Women journalists fight on”.
According to one of the testimonies, members of parliament, political leaders, and religious figures in Yemen use the Sharia law as an excuse to call for the dismissal of journalist Ms Ahad Yaseen, who has worked with several Yemeni news websites and TV channels, including news channel Al Joumhouriya. She has refused to surrender but continues to uncover the truth and shed light on issues that are often overlooked, as well as giving a voice to those who have none. She told the IFJ: “I feel a strong responsibility to inform and empower people. The ability to raise awareness through my work gives it meaning and drives me to continue, even in the face of adversity.”
Turkish-Cypriot, who is also the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Bugün Kıbrıs, an independent online news outlet, Ms Ayşemden Akın, received death threats following the publishing of an investigative series on an illegal betting network, one that allegedly involved money laundering by Turkish and Cypriot officials. After one of her sources was killed, she received broad support. She told the IFJ that: “Silence is far more dangerous than threats, I refused to accept exile as the price for journalism.”
In Indonesia, Ms Francisca Christy Rosana who works at the political desk of PT Tempo Inti Media Tbk, was sent a severed pig’s head. In addition, she suffered doxxing, threats through social media, verbal sexual harassment, and the seizure of source materials used for her reporting. Ms Rosana said: “When I travel to remote areas and meet communities harmed by large-scale government projects, I’m constantly reminded that power rarely stands with the vulnerable. I believe independent media will continue to survive as long as the people in this country remain critical.”
Ms Amanda Miranda, who works for the online news portal ICL Notícias in Brazil, received several threats from far-right groups, including judicial harassment and online abuse, as well as from incel (involuntary celibacy) men, following her reporting on a far-right congresswoman. “I believe that journalistic work is a driving force for change and social transformation. If we give up in the face of difficulties, who will step in to expose what is happening in the country and around the world? Knowing that they want to silence and intimidate me only increases my desire to make my voice reach even farther,” she said.
Meanwhile, Anthony Bellanger, the IFJ General Secretary, said: “We demand justice for all our sisters who have been targeted for doing their job. The IFJ also celebrates women journalists who dedicate their lives to fighting impunity, holding those in power to account and striving for fully informed societies and robust democracies.”
On her part, the IFJ Gender Council Chair, Ms Maria Angeles Samperio, said: “We cannot allow women journalists to be threatened, harassed, imprisoned, and even murdered. Fortunately, there are many who continue to exercise their profession with courage. The Gender Council calls on all organisations to support women’s right to practise journalism freely. Society around the world needs women journalists to be able to report freely so that all voices, including women’s voices, can be heard.”
To read the testimonies of all the women journalists featured, please visit the IFJ Women’s Day campaign page.
