The Croatian Journalists Union (SNH) on Wednesday called for marking International Women's Day with symbolic actions across the country to point to the importance of improving the status of women in society.

SNH leader Maja Sever and numerous female reporters warned at a news conference that International Women’s Day was not just about offering congratulations but using the occasion to continue the struggle for the equality of women.

Sever said there was a lot of talk about equality yet a few hours before the SNH news conference, five people were commenting on problems in the judiciary for a public media service, and all five were men.

“Women’s topics are culture, sometimes health, children, education… women are expected to know a lot about that,” she said, noting that when it comes to other important topics, including politics, men are regularly consulted.

Women continue to earn an average of €66 less a month than men for the same job, and more than 70% of women are exposed to some type of violence, from sexist remarks to attacks, she said.

Women journalists mostly harassed by male co-workers

A professor at the Zagreb Faculty of Political Science, Dina Vozab, presented a survey conducted in 2022 on forms of sexual harassment among female journalists.

Its findings show that 71% of the respondents have encountered at least one form of sexual harassment, from verbal attacks to stalking.

They are mostly targeted by their male colleagues or persons with whom they have collaborated on the ground.

“The victims are mostly young female reporters or female reporters in lower positions of power,” she said, noting that harassment is rarely reported.

Fewer than half of the respondents have experienced online harassment, resulting in self-censorship and psychological consequences, she said.

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, the feminist collective fAKTIV will hold protest marches in Zagreb, as well as in Rijeka, Split, Osijek, Sibenik, Pula and other cities.

SafeJournalists, a Western Balkan network of media associations and unions, is launching a campaign to raise awareness of the status of women in journalism and their exposure to attacks and threats. The campaign includes the first online exhibition presenting stories by 14 female reporters from Western Balkan countries who have experienced discrimination, pressure, threats and physical attacks.