I have been working as a journalist for few years. Sexual harassment, accusations, defamation, prevention and minimization, you can find all these things in my work story.
Working as a journalist is harsh for men and full of difficulties, so imagine how it is going to be for women. Beside the difficulties, women will face defamation and sexual harassment.
Sexual harassment in work place
At the begging of my work in media, I was subject to unveiled sexual harassment.
What happened to me was not something new because I heard from other females whom they are working in media field that they faced sexual harassment because of their work.
In 2012, I presented my resume to one of the Kurdish channels in order to work there. Following my successful in the first stage and publishing my first piece of work, someone who was in a senior position asked me to choose between staying in my job or having sex with him, for that I left the channel immediately.
Following my successful in the first stage and publishing my first piece of work, someone who was in a senior position asked me to choose between staying in my job or having sex with him, for that I left the channel immediately.
I chose silence; I admit that was not something brave. I was forced to do like any other women whom they were subject to sexual harassment. Always there is one reason for this: because when we are talking about this subject instead of getting some support, we are turning into victims in the eye of the society.
After I left that channel, I worked in Kurdish News Network KNN channel for three months, before that I uses to work in Nalia Radion and Television NRT as a correspondent for one year. I have also served as a news editor in Badinan sat.
I left my job because of pressure and threats
I was working in 2013 in KNN's office in Duhok, it was just at the begging of my work, they asked me to cover the early election process in Amedy district.
The early election was before two days of the general election, exactly on September 19th. At that time, Goran movement was an opposition party and KNN as the official media channel for Goran faced lots of obstacles.
Two cameramen covering protests of teachers and state employees for delay in payment in Sulaymaniyah in 2015. Photo by Metrography.
We went to a voting station as KNNs team, they didn’t allow us to do any work. The person who was in charge in the station was a military person who threatened us so we left to protect our safety. I remember at that time we were a companied by KNNs cameraman (Shukri Rekani) who passed away in a foggy accident after three years.
Rebwar is a pseudo name for a journalist, was working with another media outlet. He witnessed the incident and said, "the person who was in charge in the station threatened ………in an aggressive way, it was obvious that life of …. was in danger.” As Rebwar has changed his working place, he prefers to stay anonymous.
Threatening, pressures and obstacles were continuing, at that time I was a student in a private university and even there they were harassing me. My grades were lowered on purpose. There were challenges in front of me in all government offices. I was frequently hearing the question: “you are KNN’s reporter?” As if working with KNN was a crime.
I came to the conclusion that there is no room for me to work in that channel; I quit my job under all these pressures.
When the editor of this report on (Ashna) tried to explore the point of view of the channel on her resignation…Amir Goran the director of KNNs office in Dhouk wrote a letter “…… when she was working as a reporter in KNNs office in Dhouk, she was working in loyal and brave way, she was ambitious, but she was forced to quit because of the obstacles and chose life instead of career.”
The battle on Facebook
The day I started my career as journalist, I have faced lots of obstacles. Adding to that, currently I am facing an organized campaign on Facebook to defame my reputation. Some people created fake Facebook accounts by using my name and sending messages to my friends asking them for money.
Sometimes they are publishing some posts or picture by using my name, and their goal in doing that is to minimizing and tarnishing my reputation. I tried hard to know who are those people but I couldn’t find them. I filed a complaint at the police station in my neighborhood, but I didn’t get any answer. Later, I have submitted another complaint in another police station in Dhouk but due to Covid-19 restrictions the process was moving slowly. They informed me that they found those people but so far they couldn’t arrest them.
Soran is an pseudo name for my lawyer in this case. he monitored my account in a careful way, and he discovered that several messages have been sent to my friends, asking them money, mobile phones and internet prepaid cards. My lawyer told me “according to the acct of misuse of communication means, this is a crime, and those who are doing this should be arrested”.
I am totally convinced that all these things are related to my profession and those who are doing this know very well that the easiest way to harm female journalists is to damage their reputation, that’s why they are doing it.
I am totally convinced that all these things are related to my profession and those who are doing this know very well that the easiest way to harm female journalists is to damage their reputation, that’s why they are doing it.
Some experts in internet in Dhouk, on the condition of anonymity, told me that they can get rid of these fake accounts and find who created it, but they are asking lots of money for that, which I cannot afford it.
I already left my job, but they don't leave me alone
Under a massive pressure, I left my work in the television, currently I am writing occasionally for Kurdish websites, but till this moment if I participate in any media activity, I do face more pressure.
On 13th of August this year a number of 10 activists and journalists decided to visit Shaxke graveyard in Dhouk to present respects and tributes for 4th anniversary of martyrdom of Wadat Hussein. before reaching the graveyard, security forces controlled the area, and didn’t allow people to go into the cemetery.
I was the only girl among the group, I reached the location a minute earlier than the others in a taxi, suddenly I saw six security members with their weapons in front of me asking me to leave the location. I decided to wait for my colleagues, later on a bigger group of security members accompanied with a ranked officer came to me again, the officer started yelling at me and reproach me with inappropriate words. He took my phone and surfed it. They told me to go to (Grebaz) police station and collect my phone there. I was able to bring it back after five hours; they allowed us to leave the police station after they took our contact details. They have arrested three of my colleagues.
the officer started yelling at me and reproach me with inappropriate words.
Masoud Hadi the director of news room in KNN channel was one of the participants in that event. “At the anniversary of assassination Wadat Hussein, a journalist from Dhouk, some journalists and activists from Dhouk decided to visit Hussein’s grave in Shaxke graveyard in the city of Dhouk in order to publish a statement that demands the reveal of the killers of Wadat Hussein. The security forces closed the gate of cemetery and didn’t allowed the gathering and arrested several activists and journalists,” Hadi wrote.
Since then and up today, I contacted several people from media associations in the area, but no one was ready to help me or give a statement to this report.
Wadat Hussein
The assassination of the journalist Wadat Hussein created a big echo in 2016. There were several violations against journalists in Dhouk, but this accident was extremely different from the others.
Wadat Hussein was kidnapped on 13th of August 2013 in Malta neighborhood in Dhouk, one of the busiest districts in this city. He has been kidnapped by two vehicles, later on his family found his body in Azadi hospital with many of torture marks and bruises on his body.
Wadat Hussein was working for Rozh news, which is associated to Kurdistan Workers’ Party PKK. His family and the agency that he worked for said he has been assassinated because of carrier.
At that time Rozh news announced in a statement that before the incident, Wadat has been questioned and investigated several times by the security forces in Dhouk.
What you have been reading it, is a stage in the life of a female journalist, in a harsh working environment. Up to the present, I have faced all these things and I don’t know what the future is hiding for me.
Ashna Mohammed is a pseudo name for a female journalist; her name has been covered for her safety and upon her request.
