SMCG: Last year, 18 attacks on female journalists were recorded, they were targets of digital threats, sexist comments...

In Montenegro, 18 attacks on female journalists were recorded last year, who were most often the targets of digital threats, harassment and sexist comments, according to research by the Media Union (SMCG).

The SMCG statement states that out of a total of 33 cases of attacks on journalists recorded in the Safejournalists database last year, journalists were attacked in eight cases, while in seven incidents groups of journalists or media organizations themselves were attacked.

The research "Safety of Female Journalists and Media Workers - Montenegro, Brief Overview 2025" showed that female journalists were most often the targets of digital threats and harassment, including life threats, insults, sexist comments, and various forms of public discrediting.

As SMCG said, this includes "doxing" - the collection and public publication of private or identifying data about a person or organization on the internet without their consent.

"Of the 18 cases of attacks on female journalists, 12 occurred online, showing that the risk for women in the media is increasingly shifting to the realm of digital violence and ongoing intimidation," the research states.

As it is pointed out, the most common form of attack on female journalists last year fell under the category of "Other threats to journalists", in which a total of ten cases were recorded, most of which related to online threats.

The research states that female journalists received threatening and harassing messages or public comments on their private profiles on social networks, but also via email.

SMCG said that in that subcategory, four cases had gender-based elements.

"There was also a recorded case in which a journalist was the target of a Facebook page that publishes meme content: the administrators of that page published her private photo, with an ironic description that she was the administrator of the page, and invited followers to freely contact her," said SMCG, pointing out that the post contained offensive and sexist comments.

They alleged that two female journalists were subjected to unfounded judicial and administrative harassment, including SLAPP proceedings, with one case involving criminal charges filed against the journalist for a Facebook post.

As announced, SMCG recorded seven threats to the life and physical safety of female journalists last year, and in most cases these were explicit threats.

The statement states that the journalists, among other things, received comments and messages - "Watch out for the bullet" and "Your friend was killed by a sniper in Cetinje back then, and I shouldn't have ordered one for you too."

"These forms of threats did not have a pronounced gender dimension, but were aimed at intimidating and endangering personal safety in the context of their professional activities," the statement said.

It is added that the Safejournalists database also recorded one physical incident from the category "Actual attack on journalists", when a journalist was verbally attacked, and the perpetrator pushed her away while trying to take her camera.

The SMCG said that the efficiency of the police and prosecutor's office in cases of attacks on journalists has increased significantly in recent years, so that few new cases have remained unresolved or uninvestigated.

They emphasized that because of this, the biggest problem remains old, unresolved assault cases.

As stated by SMCG, most of the threats during the past year were directed at female journalists, so the gender component is obvious.

"However, the biggest problem in protecting female journalists is not just the number of attacks, but the gap between formally existing protection mechanisms and the actual feeling of safety," said the SMCG.

The research points out that, although the report shows that the police and prosecutor's office are more efficient in new cases than before and that few cases remain completely uninvestigated, no special treatment in cases where the victims are journalists has been observed, nor is there a comprehensive analysis of legal qualifications in light of the amendments to the Criminal Code.

It is stated that female journalists indicate that they often feel left to their own devices, that the lack of support even in newsrooms contributes to self-censorship and withdrawal, and that attacks can have long-term consequences for their psychological well-being and staying in the profession.

It is added that it is particularly important that only a few media outlets selectively provide legal assistance to attacked journalists, while none provide psychological and security support.

The research also showed that the gender dimension of assault exists, but is not always consistently recognized.

"In some cases, threats and harassment had clearly sexist or discriminatory elements, while in other cases, female journalists were targeted primarily because of their professional work. This is precisely why the protection of female journalists cannot be reduced to a general response to attacks on journalists, but must include gender-sensitive treatment, a better understanding of digital violence, and clearer accountability of newsrooms," the research states.