Women break the silence | Journalists, advocates mark International Day to End Violence Against Women

By Dulce Amor Rodriguez

MANILA — Journalists, academics, and women’s rights advocates gathered at the University of the Philippines Diliman on Nov. 25, 2025 to mark the International Day to End Violence Against Women, calling attention to how harassment and threats continue to shape the experiences of women in media and in their communities.

Organized by the International Association of Women in Radio and Television – Philippines (IAWRT Philippines) in partnership with the Quezon City government, the day-long event dubbed “Empowering Women Against Violence: Breaking the Culture of Silence,” closely examined how misogyny intersects with political repression, economic insecurity, and weak accountability mechanisms.

Speakers stressed that despite progress in newsroom policies, women journalists still face hostility, both online and in the field, that exacts significant emotional and physical toll.

Harassment in newsrooms

Women journalists shared accounts of unequal treatment and abuse at work, noting that misogyny in the newsroom mirrors the larger patriarchal order.

Broadcast journalist Gretchen Ho emphasized the mental and emotional strain journalists carry. “The emotional and psychological stress we experience is no joke,” she said during her talk.

Meanwhile, journalist Jhoanna Ballaran recounted experiencing harassment from interview subjects and male colleagues in previous workplaces. She said women still struggle to assert their rights even in professional environments where safety and respect should be guaranteed.

“As a woman, harassment and disrespect are not foreign. It reflects a patriarchal society. I cannot count the number of times I was harassed while covering news and inside the newsroom. Some bosses also withhold benefits that women should enjoy,” Ballaran said.

Women covering politically sensitive beats also carry heightened risk. Speakers cited the harassment and prolonged detention of Frenchie Mae Cumpio, a community journalist arrested during the President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration and still detained under charges widely condemned as fabricated.

Human rights advocates noted that women journalists working in red-tagged media outlets face online smear campaigns, doxxing, and surveillance—threats that do not stay on social media but spill into everyday life.

“Journalists do not live in a vacuum. Women communities experience the same threats. These problems are systemic,” said Rhea Padilla of AlterMidya who emphasized that silence only protects perpetrators.

Women empowering each other

Speakers also underscored the growing role of women in redefining media practice, from prioritizing gender-sensitive reporting to resisting censorship and impunity.

Ho reflected on why the truth remains worth pursuing despite constant fear: “It is worth it to get the truth out,” she said.

Padilla cited the National Union of Peoples Lawyers’ support of women victims and said they also draw strength from survivors and frontline truth-tellers. “We are brave lawyers because we have brave clients,” she quoted.

Participants stressed that when women share spaces, they build solidarity that challenges isolation and transforms the culture of journalism.

Collective action against violence

Speakers encouraged young journalists and students to speak up, name abuse clearly, and demand accountability.

Ho urged the audience to find strength in community. “Find reliable people who can fight the fight with you. Push back on policies you do not agree with. The moment you see it, call it out,” she said.

Ballaran emphasized the importance of rejecting silence and holding harassers accountable. “We fight back against these oppressors,” she said. “Reverse the mechanism. Normalize telling our stories. Do not normalize harassment.”

Director and Treasurer of National Union of Journalists of the Philippines Alyssa Mae Clarin added that gender sensitivity is a crucial skill future media practitioners must internalize as they shape the next phase of Philippine journalism. “Encourage young journalists to be more gender-sensitive,” she told the crowd.

Advocates closed the forum with a reminder that violence against women, especially women journalists, remains a global human rights crisis, not merely a workplace issue. They emphasized that impunity thrives whenever complaints are dismissed, and survivors are forced into silence.

For women in newsrooms, the fight continues on the streets, online, and within the institutions where truth is supposed to be protected. (AMU, RVO)

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