Towards a Feminist Approach to the Safety of Journalists

Since 2024 and into early 2025, TEDIC led the project “Towards a Feminist Approach to the Safety of Journalists”, with support from UNESCO’s Global Media Defence Fund, in response to the growing violence against journalists in Paraguay and the region. This initiative focused on capacity building, knowledge production, and strengthening strategic alliances, all from an intersectional perspective grounded in human rights, gender, and freedom of expression.

Through a collaborative approach with journalists, civil society organizations, and close coordination with the Paraguayan Journalists’ Union (SPP), the Foundation for Press Freedom, and ARTICLE 19 Brazil, a series of key actions were carried out to advance greater protection and autonomy for those working in journalism—especially in the face of digital threats and high-risk contexts.

The project’s main activities included:

• Online course “S.O.S Journalist: Digital Protection for Journalists Facing New Threats”, designed to provide practical digital security tools in response to the rise in online attacks and harassment. The course brought together journalists from across the country and served as a starting point for reflecting on the challenges of the digital environment in the exercise of press freedom.
• In-person digital security workshops “S.O.S Journalist” in Asunción, Ciudad del Este, and Encarnación. One of these sessions took place during Cybersecurity Week and featured the participation of Paula Berrutti, Regional High Commissioner for Human Rights of the United Nations, strengthening the link between digital protection and international human rights mechanisms.
• Specialized workshop on disinformation and fact-checking in Asunción, where participants explored the dynamics of disinformation, its impact on journalism, and strategies to counter it through collaborative verification practices.
• Development and publication of the “Intersectional Gender Guidelines”, an innovative document that provides practical recommendations for addressing violence against journalists from a feminist perspective. These guidelines are structured around four key areas:
  • Monitoring and documentation of attacks against journalists
  • Visibility of emblematic cases of violence
  • Digital security for high-risk reporting in Paraguay
  • Strategic litigation of violence cases with a gender perspective
• Roundtable discussion “S.O.S Journalist: Dialogue on Digital Security and Freedom of Expression in Paraguay”, which created a plural space for exchange among journalists, public institutions, civil society organizations, and international bodies.
• Implementation of the “S.O.S Journalist” communication campaign, featuring graphic, audiovisual, and radio materials promoting key messages about the importance of digital security and defending freedom of expression from a gender perspective.

This project represents an important step toward building a comprehensive and feminist approach to journalist safety. Its impact goes beyond individual activities, fostering a culture of collective protection and resilience in the face of the multiple forms of violence faced by those working in journalism—especially women, LGBTI+ individuals, and communicators.