Latin America: Security Support Provides Media “Lifeline”
Physical, psycho-emotional and digital safety consultations allow vulnerable media workers to gain key skills.
As Latin America remains the deadliest part of the world for journalists, the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) is proud to continue its collaboration with the Institute for War & Peace Reporting (IWPR) and psycho-emotional support organization Vinland Solutions, to provide security consultations to reporters in danger throughout the region.
Latin America accounts for half of journalists killed globally each year, with media workers facing dangers including complex government-sponsored attacks and threats from powerful international criminal organisations as well as censorship.
“We have received timely, necessary information in crisis situations. Most importantly, we have received essential recommendations for our reporting and other potential threats.”
Local journalists lack the resources and institutional support to mitigate these risks. The collaboration between IWMF, IWPR and Vinland solutions offers a lifeline to these media workers. In 2022, 86 journalists in Mexico, Venezuela, Bolivia, Honduras, and Cuba received physical security training – the track IWMF is supporting through this project. Work will continue in 2023 to deliver more expert sessions, with the collaboration expanding to cover the entire Latin America region.
Dunia Orellana, a Honduran journalist who participated in one of the trainings, said that this IWPR, Vinland and IWMF support had “safeguarded our lives several times”.
She continued, “We have received timely, necessary information in crisis situations. Most importantly, we have received essential recommendations for our reporting and other potential threats. Given the lack of local responses to situations that journalists experience, we feel privileged to have this support.”
