Journalists' safety and security is a key issue in the region. The risks that journalists in the region face are different depending on where they are based, but include killings, abductions, and threats.  

In addition to physical risks, journalists face psychosocial issues such as PTSD and anxiety and often do not receive any psychosocial support.  

A key aspect of war and conflict is gender. Traditional gender roles can be both reinforced and changed during war times and women and girls face various threats such as rape, trafficking, and poverty. At the same time, women are hardly included in peace negotiations and peacebuilding. Living and working in a conflict zone poses countless risks to women.  

Female journalists face both the safety risks linked to being a journalist in times of war, and the challenges of being a woman in a conflict zone. 

One of the guests invited to this seminar is a female journalist who will talk about her experiences of being a woman and a journalist in war and post-war times.  

The discussion will focus on the risks journalists face and how they can be addressed, repressive media legislation in the region and what civil society organisations in the region do.

Moderator: 

• Tamar Kikacheishvili, Programme Officer, Eurasia, Civil Rights Defenders

Panel: 

• Nino Chibchiuri, war correspondent, Georgian Media Group – Georgia 
• Yevheniia Lutsenko, journalist from Hromadske – Ukraine
• Olesya Bida, journalist from Hromadske – Ukraine
• Moreta Bobokhidze, Programme Officer, Eurasia, Civil Rights Defenders 
• Karin Stenson, Deputy Secretary-General Swedish National Commission for UNESCO

This panel is organised in cooperation with Nordic Ukraine Forum within the frame of the Swedish Network for Eastern Partnership and sponsored by ForumCiv