👥 Partners: Free Press Unlimited, UNESCO Iraq

Journalists in Iraq—especially women—navigate a landscape of harassment, cyberattacks, legal intimidation, and physical violence just for doing their job. While mechanisms exist to protect them, they often remain inaccessible, underutilized, or lack the institutional backing to be truly effective.

This reality is what made this training so urgent. Over five days in Baghdad, we worked with journalists, media activists, civil society actors, and legal experts to strengthen their ability to seek protection, hold authorities accountable, and demand press freedom.

🔹 Training Approach: A Practical & Interactive Learning Space

This training wasn’t about passive listening—it was about real skills, real strategies, and real impact.

✔ Strengthening the Complaint & Protection Platform – Journalists learned how to access, navigate, and improve the helpline and complaint system that should protect them.

✔ Advocacy for Systemic Change – We equipped participants with strategies to pressure institutions to uphold press freedom and respond effectively to threats.

✔ Legal & Digital Security Training – Sessions focused on how to legally protect themselves, navigate threats, and enhance cybersecurity in a world where digital harassment is a growing danger.

✔ Strategic Networking & Community Building – Because no journalist should feel alone, the training emphasized building networks that provide protection and professional growth.