Reporting the news can be a risky job if you are up against the powerful, and statistics tell you the same. On average, one journalist has been murdered every 4 days in the last decade. Many of these journalists were killed in countries with no armed conflict. More than 12,000 journalists have assassinated between 2006 and 2020 for just doing their job.
UNESCO observatory for killed journalists says that the killers walk free in 9 out of 10 cases. These stats paint a gloomy picture for freedom of press.
To raise awareness and formulate ways to counter these incidents, the United Nations General Assembly declared November 2 as the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists. The resolution passed in the general assembly in 2013 not only condemns all such attacks on journalists but also urge all member nations to protect journalists from threats to their lives and ensure that the victims get access to the required remedies.
In addition, it appeals to counties to empower journalists by giving them a safe and secure atmosphere to do their job without any kind of outside interference.
This year, the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists focuses on the key aspect of prosecutorial services. This includes a deep look at investigating and prosecuting not just assassinations but all kinds of threats of violence towards journalists.
Murdering journalist is not the only issue this day addresses, but goes beyond and also talks about threats of violence, kidnapping, torture, harassment, and online harassment. Women journalists are the most common targets of online harassment.
These dangers hinder the job of a journalist and create an environment where ideas and speech cannot travel freely. This is the reason that such a day is required to protect and empower media professionals across the world.
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