Online violence against women increasingly targets female journalists, having an impact on their personal and professional life as well as on the public’s right to seek information. On the other hand, perpetrators of online attacks often bear no consequences. Patrick Penninckx, Head of Information Society Department at the Council of Europe, recalls the importance of implementing available instruments and urges to continue working on this subject.

The Council of Europe's Budapest Convention is the first international treaty regulating crimes committed on the Internet and other computer networks and aiming at the protection of society against cybercrime.

• Study: A mission to inform: journalists at risk speak out
• See also our thematic webpages: Safety of Journalists - Gender and Media