To commemorate the May 3 World Press Freedom Day, the International Labour Organization (ILO) has released a report which examined the labour rights dimesion of protecting journalists and media workers globally from professional risks associated with their roles in the society.
The labour organization maintained that the work of journalists was becoming increasingly risky, noting that since 1993, more than 1,850 journalists have been killed while hundreds more are currently arbitrarily detained, missing, or facing threats.
The ILO reported that most of these killings remained unresolved even as other threats journalists had been contending with include legal harassment, as well as violence and online harassment, including gender-based threats targeting women journalists.
The report highlighted that the safety of journalists depended not only on freedom of expression but also on the enjoyment of fundamental labour rights. It also examined how fundamental principles and rights at work, as well as other relevant international labour standards, can enhance journalist safety and support governments, media employers, workers and their organizations in developing strategies to ensure protection in the sector.
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Commenting on the latest report findings of the global labour organization, its Director of Sectoral Policies, Frank Hagemann, said: “Journalists are key defenders of human and labour rights. They are also workers, and labour rights offer an important tool for protecting journalists at work.”
The ILO is part of the United Nations Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, adopted by the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination in 2012.
