While the risks of journalism in conflict zones, including death, injury, or other assaults is not limited to a particular gender over another, female reporters’ missions in the field can be particularly risky.
Reports such as 2011's The Silencing Crime, Committee to Protect Journalists and UNESCO's study into Violence against Women Journalists, highlight the fact that in addition to the standard dangers faced by journalists reporting in conflict zones, female journalists are often at added risk of sexual abuse or assault or even state-sponsored intimidation and threats.
The challenges, which journalists face when reporting from conflict zones, can be many. First and foremost among these dangers is death - or imprisonment. They may sustain injury or, if they are lucky, get away with only verbal abuse.
In one famous instance in 2011 at the height of the Arab Spring, CBS reporter Lara Logan suffered a "brutal" sexual assault at the hands of a mob in Egypt's Tahrir Square while covering the downfall of president Hosni Mubarak.
In this report, SBS Arabic spoke to three female journalists working in the Arab world - particularly in the conflict hot spots. They shared their experiences dealing with all forms of threats and risks.
Santa Essa: reporting from Belgium
Image "[I received] two threat messages. One of them was like a Fatwa issued by the Zahra Brigades [militia]. The other one was a death threat issued by another religious group which claimed to be Baath Party-affiliated."
Santa Essa has worked in the media since 2002. She used to work for Ashur TV and Reuters News Agency. She had also worked as a reporter for Aswat Al Iraq (Voices of Iraq) News Agency until she left Iraq in 2008. Essa tells SBS Arabic24 how some of her colleagues at Aswat Al Iraq were killed.
"I was working for [Aswat Al Iraq], but I was not a witness to their liquidation," she says. "We only heard about their killing."
"The names of two were listed in the threat letter and then followed by the murder of female journalist Sahar Al Hayderi who was a reporter of Aswat Aliraq. Later, Adel, a reporter who was working with us, was also assassinated.
"Another journalist working for Aswat Al Iraq lost his life."
The incident led Essa to escape for her life and flee to Belgium. She says, "All media organizations and even the [Iraqi] government were unable to protect journalists."
"The Iraqi government was unable to protect professionals in all fields as doctors and other academics who were all targeted.
"Hence, the only solution was that a person should escape for his/her life."
As to whether working in the field as a female journalist poses dangers, Essa says, "It is for sure that journalism is full of risks."
"It was even riskier for women compared to men especially when it comes to security and how to deal with security forces or US troops [in Iraq]."
Diala Jwehan reporting from Palestine
Image "The picture comes back as a proof for the crimes committed in the Palestinian territories and Jerusalem."
Diala Jwehan, is a Palestinian female journalist working for Al Hayat Al Jadidah newspaper and website run by an official Palestinian media outlet. She has been working in the field of journalism for 15 years now.
"I have only the pen and lens," says Jwehan. "The pen is to reject or to put down the testimonies and violations faced by both humans and [institutions] whether in Jerusalem or the West Bank."
"As regards the photo - it is there to reject the violations by reporting them by pictures."
Jwehan says that photos can be a particularly powerful tool in exposing injustices and human rights abuses to the world.
"Indeed, they [photos] speak louder and stronger by sending them to the whole world even when the word is absent," says Jwehan. "The picture comes back as a proof for the crimes committed in the Palestinian territories and Jerusalem."
Reporting from conflict zones is not an obstacle for Jwehan. Below: during the Palestinian prisoners’ hunger strike, Jwehan filmed prisoner families as they showed solidarity to their imprisoned family members in Jerusalem.
Jwehan says that she is exposed to abuses on a regular basis from doing her job
"Through my work from 2008, in particular, until today, experienced abuses," she says. "The most recent of which, was in April where the occupation forces raided my home when I was served a summon letter."
Jwehan continues, "When journalists and particularly female journalists are present in the field, event, confrontations, peaceful or non-peaceful protests especially in Jerusalem, we would usually experience violations [committed against us] by Israeli occupation forces."
"We are viewed as Palestinian journalists regardless of whether we came from the West Bank or Jerusalem."
As to why they are so often targeted, Jwehan says, "It occurs because of the laws in place in the presence of the occupation and discrimination used against us."
"As journalists, we do not hold Israeli press IDs -we only have IDs from the Palestinian Journalists’ Union.
"Where present, we are banned from covering some issues like incidents or operations that take place inside the old city [of Jerusalem].
"In such situations, we have always been kept away even if we would have produced the Palestinian union cards. The cards issued by Palestinian Journalists Union or Information ministry are not recognized [by Israelis]."
Maha AlAzzi: Reporting from Iraq
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Maha AlAzzi was subjected to an incident of a direct threat because she was working for a foreign news agency. It is just one example of the stories and problems faced by female journalists in Iraq.
"It was a winter time," AlAzzi tells SBS Arabic24 of an incident that occurred when she was catching a bus. "I got into a seat, and that person sat opposite to me."
"After being seated, he gazed at me with rage and anger.
"I tried to ignore him and paid no attention to what he did. That person was wearing an overcoat, and he took out from under his coat an iron bar.
"He started to talk to me, waving the bar."
AlAzzi explains that it was her job that made her the target of this particular confrontation.
"His words were those of threat to the effect that they should get rid of people like us because we [journalists] do harm to society by conveying a bad image of it," she says.
"The presence of armed militia that directly threatens a female journalist. They target her because they regard or believe her to be a soft or weak person."
"He started to move the bar towards me and then waved it away. Fortunately, there were some young men in the bus and Iraqis are known for being helpful in stressful situations."
AlAzzi explains though that it is authorities too, as well as civilians, who can pose a threat to female journalists.
"I shall also mention the presence of armed militia that directly threatens a female journalist," she explains. "They target her because they regard or believe her to be a soft or weak person."
