Although the issue of gender-based violence against women at media workplace is a global issue, and it is also present in Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, data to support the claim, and consequently monitor the improvement of the situation, is rather scarce. Women in the media often do not feel safe to speak out, mainly for fear of reprisals, of losing their jobs or not receiving the necessary support.

In the three-year project "Women in the Media" (2025-2028) we have joined forces the Institute Circle, Trade Union of Croatian Journalists, TUCJ (Croatia), Union "Nezavisnost", branch for culture, art, and media (Serbia), Mediacentar Sarajevo (BiH) and Slovenian Association of Journalists, SAJ (Slovenia) with co-financing of the European Union, in which we fight for ending workplace harassment in the media industry, especially in public broadcasting services, in Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

It is the first regional project of its kind to address the issue of workplace harassment in the media in such a comprehensive way, and lays the foundations for long-term systemic change. It brings together media organisations, trade unions, academic institutions and independent experts to bring about systemic change in the media industry. Through its activities – Cross-national comparative research, development of transferable Rulebook (setting standrads), identification and exchange of good practices among partner countries, trans-national cooperation of journalists and experts, awareness raising, advocacy and capacity building activities for relevant media professionals - the project aims to have a long-term impact on policies, practices and culture in media organisations.

Gender-based violence remains a challenge in society, with significant roots in gender inequality and worsened  by unequal power relations. An international survey conducted by the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) in 2022 found out that, on average, 42 % of female journalists have experienced verbal and/or physical sexual harassment in the workplace. The study includes countries from Southeast Asia, Russia, Africa, Central America and Arab Region.

The project directly aligns with the European Commission's 2020 – 2025 Gender Equality Strategy, which emphasizes the need for freedom from violence and stereotypes. It specifically addresses the call CERV-2024-DAPHNE, which seeks to prevent and combat gender-based violence.

The project is supported by the University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Philosophy – Department of Media Studies, the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities of Republic of Slovenia, Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes from Serbia, and Faculty of Social Sciences – University of Ljubljana.

The project promotes a culture of respect, diversity, and inclusion, critical to achieving long-term gender equality in the media sector in in Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, including EU and non-EU member states.​

The project is co-funded by the European Union.

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