Towards Gender Justice amidst Conflict and Discrimination
IAWRT Statement on International Women’s Day, 2025
The International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT) has been at the forefront of advocating for women’s rights and gender equality in the media industry for over seven decades. As the world continues to grapple with conflicts, both armed and social, the role of gender justice has become increasingly critical. In these challenging times, where conflicts disrupt lives, communities, and nations, the pursuit of gender justice stands as a beacon for sustainable peace and development.
While women’s contribution to society, economy, the media, and all spheres of life is crucial for the well-being of our planet, this contribution is barely recognized. The hard-fought gains towards equality are under threat across the globe, as governments engage in warfare, slash social welfare, advance anti-environmental agendas, use religion and culture to deny women their rights, suppress freedom of expression, and persecute journalists.
According to the Committee for Protection of Journalists, at least 124 journalists across 18 countries were killed last year, the highest in over 3 decades. Nearly 70% of these deaths were at the hands of the Israeli military in Gaza, Lebanon, and Palestine. The Coalition for Women in Journalism reports that attacks against women journalists have nearly doubled, with 29 being killed, and over 950 reported press violations. This is a measure of the unacceptable level of conflict, political unrest, and authoritarianism in the world today, further exacerbated by the environmental impacts of climate change.
2025 is a landmark year, marking the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995 by 189 governments. As a blueprint for the rights of women and girls, the Platform remains ever relevant, even as armed conflict, climate change, and digital media continue to reshape the world. In this context, we strongly endorse and amplify the call by UN Women for International Women’s Day this year: “For ALL women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.”
This call resonates across our chapters worldwide: from Afghanistan, where our members live in fear, hiding or exile; from Iraq Kurdistan, where women journalists face multiple challenges; from the Philippines, where our member, Frenchie May Cumpio remains unjustly imprisoned; from Nepal, where gender discrimination in the media persists; from India, where freedom of expression is under severe attack; from Kenya, where sexual harassment and discrimination remain widespread, and from all other chapters and countries, where our members, along fellow women journalists and media workers, resist right-wing regimes that rule through disinformation, censorship, and policies that harm women and girls, particularly from marginalized communities. In this increasingly hostile environment, our members continue their work for justice and safety through their reporting and creative endeavours.
As we approach our 40th Biennial Conference in Nepal, IAWRT reaffirms its unwavering commitment to Gender Justice, Equality and Empowerment.
We invite you to support our work by donating to our fundraiser: Building Global Sisterhood and Forging New Ways Forward.
Link to the fundraising page:
March 8, 2025
