Women journalists stand as human rights defenders whose work safeguards truth and upholds the democratic fabric of our society. Anchored on this recognition, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), in its role as the country’s Gender Ombud, spearheaded the “Women Journalists as Women Human Rights Defenders” forum on 28 November 2025, underscoring the Commission’s sustained commitment to promoting media welfare and in line with the observance of the International Women Human Rights Defenders Day.

Together with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Commission launched the forum as a space to shed light on the gender-based obstacles that women journalists continue to confront in their line of work as they defend the truth. Journalists and women’s organizations were invited to share their experiences to better inform the CHR in its development of initiatives that intersect media safety, gender rights, and the welfare of human rights defenders.

The initiative was led by the CHR Strategic Communication Division and the Center for Gender Equality and Women’s Human Rights, reflecting the intersectionality of women’s issues—where media freedom, gender equality, digital rights, and human rights protection converge. Their collaboration underscores CHR’s recognition that the challenges faced by women journalists cannot be addressed in silos, but require integrated and gender-responsive approaches.

In her keynote message, Commissioner Faydah Maniri Dumarpa, Focal Commissioner for Gender, emphasized the urgency of holding the forum at this moment, noting the multiple contexts that heighten risks for women journalists.

“The timing of this gathering could not be more relevant. We meet not only in observance of the International Day of Women Human Rights Defenders, but also in the middle of the 18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women from 25 November to 12 December. Women journalists continue to face rising risk. This includes online gender-based attacks, threats linked to conflict, elections, and disinformation. Today’s forum becomes both a reminder and a call to action: to strengthen protection, deepen solidarity, and ensure that women journalists are safe, supported, and empowered,” Commissioner Dumarpa said.

The forum brought together a panel of women journalists, namely: Chiara Zambrano, Martha Teodoro of Bulatlat, and Guillana David of the Philippine Collegian. Their insights revealed how the risks they confront—such as harassment, threats, and pressures on the ground—are rooted in frontline experiences and are shared burdens carried by their sector. By bringing these realities to light, they emphasized the need to build safer and more respectful spaces for women journalists as they report on critical global and national issues involving human rights concerns.

By carrying out their duty as the nation’s Fourth Estate, women journalists likewise serve as human rights defenders who uphold truth, justice, and accountability. In doing so, however, they often bear the brunt of patriarchal and misogynistic narratives that attempt to diminish their credibility and erode the gains made in promoting gender equality and women’s rights across all facets of society.

Joining the conversation as reactors were: Usec. Joe Torres, representing the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS); Azenath Formoso Bagunu from the CHR Strategic Communication Division; and Atty. Myra Fernandez and Atty. Christa Balonkita of the CHR Protection Office. Their contributions broadened the discussion by bringing in institutional viewpoints that underscored the value of coordinated efforts across government agencies, media organizations, and civil society. These perspectives highlighted the persistent concerns faced by women as bearers of truth.

Reflecting on the role of women journalists as frontline human rights defenders, Commissioner Dumarpa emphasized the courage and vulnerability that define their work.

“Women journalists document, expose, and amplify truths even when doing so invites retaliation. Their work is human rights defense in its clearest and most high-risk form. As they continue to negotiate gendered, digital, and structural threats, we are called to ensure that no woman journalist stands alone in her struggle for safety, dignity, and justice,” she stressed.

Lodged under its priority thrust for media welfare, the CHR is slated to conduct the National Inquiry: Safeguarding Press Freedom and the Public’s Right to Information in 2026, which envisions to document and examine the impact of threats and harassments committed against journalists in the Philippines. Alongside the forum for women journalists, it will form part of the Commission’s continuing efforts to implement the Philippine Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists, along with other existing programs for media welfare and protection, such as the CHR’s Expanded Media Task Force on the Safety of Journalists, the Alisto! Alert Mechanism, Training on Human Rights-Based Approaches to Reporting, the CHR–PTFoMS Memorandum of Agreement, and various media sessions conducted under the Lakbay Karapatan Tungo sa Kamalayan initiative, among others.###