Balkan female journalists face escalating threats, little protection

Female journalists in Balkan region are increasingly subjected to harassment, threats, and gender-based violence – especially online – while authorities fail to provide effective legal protection.

This results from an extensive analysis of all reported attacks on media organizations and journalists, as well as media property, as well as prosecutorial investigations and court processes in the period 2020-2025 until now.

Although women make up the majority of the media workforce, they also remain underrepresented in editorial and leadership roles, and disproportionately face abuse  ranging from sexist insults to death threats. The attacks often follow investigative reporting into corruption, crime, and political misconduct.

The research also shows that in the past five years, attacks on female journalists in the Balkans have been steadily increasing, particularly on social media. Meanwhile, the institutions in these countries either cannot, or choose not to, protect them.

While attacks on men journalists are also common, those targeting women journalists reveal a gender-based dimension: women in journalism face almost daily sexist and misogynistic insults and comments. They are not attacked solely because of their work but also because they are women.

The official data obtained by authorities in the region, local and international watchdogs, along with the personal stories of interviewed journalists, point to a troubling trend: in most countries, protective measures for female journalists are nearly nonexistent, while silence from relevant institutions remains the dominant response – allowing attacks to go unpunished.

Data shows that the most common types of attacks on women journalists are verbal abuse (both online and offline), defamation and smear campaigns, sexist insults and threats, political intimidation, and SLAPP lawsuits aimed at financially and professionally threatening journalists.

Physical attacks, fortunately, are less frequent but they do occur, particularly during public events, protests, and court reporting.

“It is more dangerous to stay silent”

In Montenegro, investigative reporter Jelena Jovanovic from main newspaper Vijesti lives under 24-hours police protection after receiving repeated threats tied to her reporting on organized crime and corruption.

“Every time I face pressure or threats, it reminds me how vital it is to persist,” she told us. “In a society like ours, where many dark secrets and abuses remain hidden,it’s far more dangerous to stay silent.”

Jovanovic says that while institutional mechanisms exist, they’re inadequate, especially for women.

“In a country where we still don’t know who ordered the 2004 murder of the main opposition newspaper Dan’s editor Dusko Jovanovic, where trials for attempted murders of journalists drag on for years, it's hard to believe in serious protection,” she said. “And women investigative journalists face extra layers of intimidation, online smear campaigns, defamation, and attempts at professional sabotage.”

“Providing physical protection for journalists should never be normalized,” she added. “It should be an alarm,” Jovanović pointed out.

Jovanović’s experience echoes concerns raised by SafeJournalists and the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), which emphasize that female journalists face gender-specific threats and are often forced into self-censorship or leave the profession.

“My job made me a target”

In Bosnia and Herzegovina where in recent months media face new pressure after adoption of the controversial “foreign agents law” in the Serb-dominated entity Republika Srpska, RS.

Natasa Miljanovic-Zubac, a journalist with Republika Srpska’s public broadcaster RTRS, has spent years reporting on drug trafficking and cross-border crime. Since 2004, she has received death threats, had her car torched, and found threatening messages, including a blood-smeared headless Barbie doll left at her home.

“My stories exposed links between drug cartels and high-ranking political figures,” she said. “One of the most severe threats came after I published a piece on drug routes, without naming anyone. But the reaction was instant. From that point in 2021, attacks have been continuous.”

Like Jovanovic in Montenegro, Miljanovic-Zubac she now lives under 24/7 surveillance, protected by non-state security arranged through international organizations. “I’ve been offered asylum several times, but I refuse. If I deliver my message from abroad, it loses its strength.”

Miljanovic-Zubac says state institutions in Republika Srpska and Bosnia as whole have done little to protect her.

“This confirmed what I already knew, the system doesn’t function because it’s part of the criminal networks we investigate,” she told us.

The systemic problem which is getting worse

According to the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), 42.7 per cent of all verbal attacks in 2024 targeted women journalists, compared to 31.0 per cent of attacks on men. Online harassment was even more skewed: 24.6 per cent  of attacks on women took place online, double the rate for their male counterparts.

The Women’s Media Center has documented that digital spaces have become primary arenas for gender-based violence. Female journalists are subjected to coordinated online campaigns, rape threats, and misogynistic slurs, particularly after reporting on controversial topics such as migration or government corruption.

According to the regional media platform Safe Journalists and its 2024 report, workplace insecurity also plays a role. Female journalists across the region face job instability, dismissal under pressure, or reassignment. Some outlets actively discourage reporting that could upset political or business interests, especially if the reporter is a woman.

No justice, no protection

Legal recourse remains elusive. The research shows that in the past five years, most reported cases are either dismissed or downgraded to misdemeanors. In rare instances, perpetrators receive minimal penalties, such as fines or warnings. Some journalists face retaliatory lawsuits known as SLAPPs, designed to intimidate them legally and financially.

“Despite reporting cases, most journalists receive no protection. Some are even pressured to withdraw their complaints,” the SafeJournalists Platform reported in its regional analysis.

The report calls for urgent reforms: swiffer investigations, gender-sensitive protection mechanisms, financial support for independent media, and coordinated action by governments, civil society, and international partners.

Despite facing violence, online abuse, and institutional neglect, both Jovanović and Miljanović-Zubac refuse to give up.

“Every attempt at intimidation only confirms the importance of my work,” Jovanovic said.

Miljanović-Zubac added: “I stay because I love journalism. Even when I know that some people want me dead just because I report the truth. If journalists are silenced, who will be left to speak?”

Source of the cover photo: omid armin via Unsplash