Women journalists and media workers in Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to face various forms of violence, threats, and discrimination, according to the study “The Safety of Women Journalists and Media Workers – Bosnia and Herzegovina Brief 2025”, published by the BH Journalists Association in cooperation with the SafeJournalists network. During 2025, out of a total of 35 attacks and threats against journalists and media outlets registered through the SafeJournalists network monitoring system, eight cases involved threats and attacks targeting women journalists. Five incidents were directed at individual women journalists, while in three cases the targets were groups of journalists that included women.
The research shows that women journalists are particularly exposed to digital violence on social media and in the online sphere, where they face misogynistic comments, insults, threats of sexual violence, and organized discreditation campaigns. Nearly half of the recorded incidents involving women journalists in 2025 contained explicit elements of gender-based violence. This pattern suggests that women journalists are not only exposed to the general risks of the journalism profession, but are disproportionately targeted by gender-specific forms of intimidation. Such dynamics contribute to a climate of fear that discourages many women journalists from engaging in investigative journalism and participating in public debates.
In focus groups and interviews conducted by the researchers, women journalists stated that threats mostly come from politicians, public officials, and social media users, while institutional responses — especially regarding online attacks — are often absent or come too late. Some participants in the study emphasized that they frequently do not report attacks due to distrust in institutions, fear of additional victimization, and the belief that threats will not be adequately prosecuted. Despite the existing legal framework for protection against violence and discrimination, as well as positive developments in prosecuting online attacks, the study shows that the implementation of these laws in practice remains insufficiently effective.
The authors of the study warn that ongoing political pressure, hate speech, and the normalization of violence against women journalists seriously threaten media freedom and the public’s right to information. They call on institutions to urgently improve protection mechanisms and more effectively prosecute threats and attacks against women journalists in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Data from 2025 indicate a continued deterioration of the security environment for journalists and media professionals in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including four reported physical attacks, numerous verbal threats, political pressure, online discreditation campaigns, and cases of obstruction of journalists’ work in the field. Particularly concerning is the fact that politicians and public officials were involved in at least 16 cases of threats and verbal attacks against journalists and media outlets.
The publication “The Safety of Women Journalists and Media Workers – Bosnia and Herzegovina Brief 2025” was produced with the support of the Australian Embassy in Serbia. The full study in English can be accessed at the following link:
The safety of women journalists and media workers – Bosnia and Herzegovina Brief 2025