Reporting the news can be a risky task if you’re up against powerful people, and that’s what the statistics tell you. On an average, a journalist has been murdered every 4 days in the last decade. Many of these journalists died in countries without armed conflict. Between 2006 and 2020, more than 12,000 journalists have been murdered just to do their jobs.
UNESCO’s Observatory for Killed Journalists says murderers walk free in 9 out of 10 cases. These figures paint a dismal picture of press freedom.
To raise awareness and devise ways to counter these incidents, the United Nations General Assembly declared 2 November as the International Day for Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists. The resolution passed in the General Assembly in 2013 not only condemns all such attacks on journalists but also urges all member states to protect journalists from threats to their lives and ensure victims have access to the necessary measures.
In addition, it appeals to the counties to empower journalists by giving them a safe and secure environment to do their jobs without any outside interference.
This year, the International Day of Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists focuses on a key aspect of the Prosecution Services. It includes a deep look at investigating and prosecuting not only murders but all forms of threats of violence against journalists.
The murder of a journalist is not the only issue to this day, but goes even further and talks about the dangers of violence, kidnapping, torture, harassment and online harassment. Women journalists are the most common targets of online harassment.
These threats hinder a journalist’s job and create an environment where thought and speech cannot travel freely. That is why such a day is needed to protect and empower media professionals across the world.
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