The campaign for gender equality is exhausting & feels unending, which makes it crucial to celebrate every single win, so as to keep despair & burnout at bay. This week, we at NWMI celebrate the women employees of Newslaundry who have taken an abusive misogynist to court.
We stand in solidarity with women who work at Newslaundry who have been at the receiving end of verbal abuse so vile from this man, that the court refused to proceed with hearing his defence until he took down his tweets against them.
We particularly commend the plaintiffs in this case for objecting not only to the effort to tarnish their reputation as women and as journalists, but also to the dehumanisation of sex workers in the defendant’s choice of words.
In this and so many other ways, we believe that this legal action by the women employees of Newslaundry is representative of the fight for dignity of women everywhere.
Violence against women – verbal, physical, psychological – is a constant in societies worldwide. The digital era has increased the number of spaces in which this violence occurs. As women journalists, we now find ourselves under unrelenting assault in the public sphere.
Abuse and personal attacks have become so routine that they have been normalised, and we are told – as survivors of sexual harassment are always told – to “take it in your stride”, “grow up”, “have a sense of humour”, and worse.
The volume of sexual abuse against women on social media is so high, that it is impossible to highlight each instance or take legal action each time, which is why we are grateful to every woman who does.
As this particular case continues to be heard in court, we place our faith in the judicial system and hope that justice will be served.
We wish to express our appreciation for our fellow women mediapersons at Newslaundry who have taken legal recourse against their abuser, despite being aware of how time-consuming and emotionally draining that path can be. Please know that we have your back.
#TimesUp #MeToo
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The Network of Women in Media, India
25 May 2025
