India: CFWIJ is appalled at sexual harassment of woman journalist in Kolkata
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November 15, 2021- A woman journalist was allegedly molested and harassed by the driver of a private ride-hailing service in Kolkata. The alleged harasser was arrested after the incident was reported at the Behala police station on Saturday, November 14, 2021. The journalist, who remains anonymous, was with her friend, heading back from her workplace when the driver started harassing them, according to the complaint. The perpetrator was arrested by the police on the basis of the journalist’s complaint along with which she submitted a picture of his car. The Coalition For Women In Journalism appreciates the police's prompt response. We also emphasize that such incidents must not occur and women journalists should be able to feel safe while performing duties or returning from work.
Reports stated the cab driver was driving recklessly and tried to harm the journalist and her friend several times by hitting their scooter. He also tried to block her way and push her off the road. The woman journalist, who has chosen to keep her identity hidden, then stopped her scooter on a road crossing and protested against the driver's behaviour. It was at that time when the cab driver physically assaulted the woman journalist and molested her friend too.
The police managed to nab him after the journalist provided a picture of his car’s number plate. She was fortunate to take a picture when the perpetrator was trying to escape from the scene.
Women journalists are often subjected to sexual harassment and all sorts of threats on the field, in newsrooms and sometimes while returning from work too. This is an extremely horrifying feeling to experience while performing an exhaustive work assignment.The crime is prevalent in countries across the world despite the commitment of most countries to the international community to ensure the safety of both - women and journalists.
On November 2, the CFWIJ reported the harassment of Noelle D Lilley, a New 12 journalist, by male onlookers while she was reporting from the streets of New York. The journalist took to Twitter to express her discomfort and shared the video of her harasser. A number of women journalists mentioned under her tweet how they have also come across such humiliating experiences at work.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the harassment of women journalists in all forms whether sexual, physical or verbal. We hope that societies everywhere in the world learn to make safe spaces for women journalists to work fearlessly. A woman reporter working in the field or the newsroom must not feel threatened. We hope that authorities and organizations come up with more helpful strategies to solve these issues.
