The continental seminar, held from 15-16 December 2025, brought together 16 female union leaders from the five regions of Africa as well as the members of the FAJ Gender Council to deliberate and develop strategies on creating legal awareness among female journalists leaders and unions aimed at strengthening protection for women journalists against gender-based violence and harassment in newsrooms and in the field of work while carrying out their professional duties.
Particular focus was placed on ILO Convention 190 on violence and harassment in the world of work and the African Union Convention on Ending Gender-Based Violence Against Women and Girls. Women journalist leaders deepened their understanding of how these legal instruments can be used to protect the safety, security, dignity and freedom of women journalists across the media industry.
The Continental Seminar, produced a shared commitment to strengthen union-led prevention and response mechanisms. Participants agreed to prioritise the integration of gender-based violence and harassment provisions into collective agreements, to establish safe and trusted reporting mechanisms within unions and to improve documentation and follow-up of cases affecting women journalists.
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The seminar also outlined strategies to strengthen cross-border solidarity among women journalists’ leaders. Participants demonstrated their resolve to build a continental network under FAJ to share experiences, provide peer support and coordinate advocacy actions targeting media employers, regulators and public authorities where gender-based violence and harassment demand urgent action.
IFJ President, Dominique Pradalie, applauded the concrete commitments made by African journalists’ unions under the leadership of FAJ and reaffirmed IFJ’s support for sustained organising and the implementation of tangible measures to protect and empower women journalists. She stressed that the fight against violence and harassment in the newsrooms and the field of work is inseparable from the defence of media freedom, labour rights and democratic governance.
Speaking at the seminar, the President of the FAJ Pan-African Gender Council, Indira Correia Balde noted that the Seminar strengthened women’s collective voice within African journalists’ unions. She noted that participants left the continental gathering equipped with the necessary tools, skills and strategies to combat gender based violence and harassment and to take the necessary step to hold perpetrators accountable and transform newsroom cultures through strong union action that guarantees the safety of female journalists both online and offline.
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FAJ President, Omar Faruk Osman, stated that the continental initiative has moved the journalist’ movement on the continent beyond discussion and towards concrete action, delivering practical outcomes to confront the chronic problem of gender-based violence against women journalists. He emphasised that women journalists are central to union leadership and stressed that journalist unions must take decisive and organised action to defend members’ rights, dignity and safety in the newsrooms and in the field of their work.
FAJ confirmed that follow-up actions will include national-level union initiatives, regional coordination through the FAJ Pan-African Gender Council and continued engagement with international partners to ensure that commitments made during the seminar translate into tangible improvements for women journalists on the ground.
For more Information, please contact the IFJ – Africa Office
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