Legal and Normative Frameworks for Combatting Online Violence Against Women Journalists
November 2022: UNESCO;International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) (2022), 35 pp.
CC BY-SA
"In this chapter, international, regional and State-level legal and normative frameworks for responding to online violence against women journalists are examined, while exemplar judgements are catalogued, and gaps in law enforcement are highlighted. Here, insights gleaned from 184 in-depth interviews, and responses to the relevant survey questions in the main data corpus are supplemented by relevant examples from other countries, surfaced through extensive desk research. Additionally, the 15 country case studies underpinning the broader study are drawn on to contextualise the discussion." (Pages 4-5)
"This is an extracted chapter from a wider UNESCO-commissioned global study on online violence against women journalists produced by the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ). The full-length study was published in November 2022. This chapter critically analyses legal and normative responses to online violence against women journalists. It also provides action-oriented recommendations to help law enforcement agencies, the legal community and the judiciary respond more effectively to the crisis." (About this publication, page 2)
I. AN ASSESSMENT OF RELEVANT UN-LEVEL RESPONSES, 5
II. THIRD PARTY INTERMEDIARY LEGAL OBLIGATIONS, 9
III. REGIONAL LEGAL FRAMEWORKS AND INSTRUMENTS, 9
IV. PRACTICAL LEGAL CHALLENGES EXPERIENCED BY WOMEN JOURNALISTS UNDER FIRE, 11
Platform accountability -- Identifying the perpetrators -- Cross-jurisdictional challenges -- Criminal Remedies for Harassment, Stalking and Threats -- Defamation action as a defence -- Privacy-based legal action -- Prosecuting acts of doxxing -- Electoral and equality law -- Copyright Violations -- Limitations of conventional communications legal instruments -- Heavy costs -- Legislating against online violence -- Legislating against misogynistic hate speech
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ACTION, 30
II. THIRD PARTY INTERMEDIARY LEGAL OBLIGATIONS, 9
III. REGIONAL LEGAL FRAMEWORKS AND INSTRUMENTS, 9
IV. PRACTICAL LEGAL CHALLENGES EXPERIENCED BY WOMEN JOURNALISTS UNDER FIRE, 11
Platform accountability -- Identifying the perpetrators -- Cross-jurisdictional challenges -- Criminal Remedies for Harassment, Stalking and Threats -- Defamation action as a defence -- Privacy-based legal action -- Prosecuting acts of doxxing -- Electoral and equality law -- Copyright Violations -- Limitations of conventional communications legal instruments -- Heavy costs -- Legislating against online violence -- Legislating against misogynistic hate speech
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ACTION, 30
