RSF calls for urgent protections for women journalists ahead of Thailand's 8 February election
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has raised concerns over escalating threats faced by women journalists in Thailand, urging political candidates to implement legal protections and calling for institutional reforms ahead of the country’s general elections on 8 February.
- RSF has warned of widespread harassment against women journalists in Thailand, especially ahead of the 8 February general elections.
- A series of RSF-led workshops revealed alarming levels of physical, online, and legal threats to female reporters.
- RSF has called on political candidates, authorities, digital platforms, and newsrooms to implement urgent reforms to protect journalists' safety.
As Thailand approaches its general elections on 8 February, 2026, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has raised serious concerns over persistent threats and harassment faced by women journalists. The organisation has urged electoral candidates and relevant institutions to prioritise journalist protection and commit to meaningful reforms.
In a statement released following two “Holistic Safety Training” workshops, RSF reported that women journalists in Thailand regularly face violence, online abuse, and smear campaigns. The workshops, held in late 2025 in partnership with the NGO Co-fact Thailand and supported by the Embassy of Canada to Thailand, gathered 25 women journalists from across the country.
Participants shared experiences of targeted abuse that frequently go unaddressed by authorities. According to RSF, the events focused on physical risk management, digital safety, and mental health, highlighting the multi-dimensional dangers facing women in the media profession.
Thailand’s press landscape, while active, remains fraught with dangers. In 2024, Thai PBS journalist Duangthip Yiampop was physically attacked by a member of parliament during an assignment. The incident, RSF noted, went unpunished — a symbol of the broader climate of impunity.
Cédric Alviani, RSF’s Asia-Pacific Bureau Director, stressed the urgency of the matter. “The scale of the risks faced by journalists in Thailand, and women journalists in particular, requires decisive action from political leaders,” he said. “The candidates running for election must commit to introducing laws that protect journalists’ safety.”
Beyond physical assaults, RSF highlighted disproportionate exposure of women journalists to gender-based online harassment and threats. These include sexist abuse, coordinated smear campaigns, and intimidation designed to discredit their work.
Thailand ranks 85th out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2025 World Press Freedom Index. This low ranking is attributed to both legal pressures and a security environment that undermines press freedom and encourages self-censorship.
Legal harassment remains a critical issue. Thai journalists risk being charged under laws such as lèse-majesté — which carries sentences of up to 15 years — along with defamation and cybercrime laws that allow for punitive legal action and high costs.
Workshop attendees voiced the importance of support networks and collective responses. Buarat Ubonprasert, a journalist from Epigram News, noted that “training sessions and support spaces help us understand that we are not at fault”. Another journalist said the training revealed “specific security risks you don’t even suspect exist if you are not a woman”.
In light of these findings, RSF has issued a detailed list of recommendations aimed at political candidates, law enforcement, digital platforms, and newsrooms.
To political candidates, RSF has called for clear commitments to investigate violence against journalists, criminalise online harassment in aggravated cases, and protect those covering women’s rights issues.
To police and judicial authorities, RSF recommends forming national journalist safety committees, appointing police liaison officers, and formally documenting attacks on journalists covering gender-based violence.
Digital platforms have been asked to prioritise reports of cyberharassment and comply with judicial orders. RSF further urges platforms to tackle anonymous threats and implement stronger moderation practices, supported by adequate staffing.
Newsrooms are encouraged to establish legal defence funds, offer cyberharassment training, and adopt gender-sensitive protocols for reporting abuse. Mental health support and trauma-informed practices should also be prioritised.
RSF has made its journalist safety guide and training materials available online, encouraging media workers and institutions to adopt best practices in protecting press freedom.
With elections imminent, the organisation reiterated its call for political will and structural reforms. It emphasised that the safety of journalists is integral not only to individual well-being but to the public’s right to access accurate information without fear or censorship.
