Guidance For Ethical and Responsible Reporting on UN Findings Exposing Israel’s Use of Sexual Violence as Method of War

For Immediate Release
Justice For All
media@justiceforall.org

March 14, 2025

To the News Editors and Journalists,

Justice For All, a leading human rights advocacy and anti-genocide organization, calls on media outlets to ensure ethical, accurate, and comprehensive coverage of the latest United Nations Commission of Inquiry report, released on March 13, titled “More than a human can bear”: Israel’s systematic use of sexual, reproductive, and other forms of gender-based violence since 7 October 2023.

This report exposes grave human rights violations and potential war crimes committed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including systematic sexual violence, targeted attacks on women’s healthcare, and the use of gender-based violence as a weapon of war. These findings indicate acts that may constitute genocide and egregious war crimes under international law.

Given the severity of these allegations, it is imperative that media coverage does not minimize or obscure the reality of these crimes. Journalists have a responsibility to uphold the highest standards of reporting, ensuring that survivors’ voices are centered, legal frameworks are accurately referenced, and state narratives do not overshadow the evidence of systematic abuses documented by the UN.

Key Findings to Address in Your Coverage

1. Targeted Attacks on Women’s Healthcare

• Systematic destruction of reproductive health and fertility facilities.
• Blockade of reproductive health care and menstrual products.
• Starvation as a method of war, disproportionately harming pregnant and postpartum women.
• These actions have severely impacted the reproductive capacity of Palestinians in Gaza.

1. Sexual Violence as a Weapon
   • Israeli forces documented using sexual violence against Palestinian detainees, including forced stripping, harassment, humiliation, rape, sexual violence, urination, and sexualized torture.
   • These crimes serve as tools of domination and destruction against Palestinians.
2. Disproportionate Violence Against Women and Children
   • Targeting of residential buildings and civilian areas
   • Israel’s indiscriminate use of heavy explosives in densely populated areas.

Pertinent Quotes 

1. “There is no escape from the conclusion that Israel has employed sexual and gender-based violence against Palestinians to terrorise them and perpetuate a system of oppression that undermines their right to self-determination. – Navi Pillay
2. “Sexual and gender-based violence was intended not only to humiliate, punish and intimidate the individual Palestinians but the civilian population as a whole, with the objective to subordinate, destroy and expel the Palestinian community.”

The Urgent Need for Ethical and Responsible Media Coverage

Given the gravity and widespread nature of these crimes, it is imperative that this report receives extensive and accurate media coverage. The international community relies on the media to shed light on such violations and to hold perpetrators accountable. Journalists and media outlets play a crucial role in ensuring the UN’s findings receive accurate, ethical, and responsible coverage. How this report is framed will shape public understanding and influence accountability for war crimes.

Best Practices for Reporting on These Crimes

✔ Humanize the victims

• Use first-person testimonies, names, and personal stories rather than reducing victims to mere statistics.
• Highlight the humanity and dignity of those affected.
• Avoid dehumanizing language.

✔ Contextualize the Crimes 

• Include the historical and political context of the occupation and siege of Gaza.
• Include reference to expert documentation of Israel’s use of sexual and gender based violence against Palestinians in Palestine to clearly show the trend.
• Show how these violations fit within the broader patterns of systematic oppression and genocide.
• Include reference to International Humanitarian Law and the violations when applicable. Failing to highlight war crimes allows perpetrators to act with impunity.

✔ Use Clear and Precise Terminology 

• Call crimes by their legal names – e.g. genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, collective punishment.
• Do not euphemize or minimize the extent of violence.

✔ Include Palestinian Experts and Voices 

• Center Palestinian journalists, activists, human rights experts and historians in discussions about their lived experience.

• Avoid over-reliance on Western or Israeli sources that frame these narratives through a Eurocentric, settler-colonial lens.

✔ Avoid Victim-blaming and Misleading Narratives 

• Do not frame the UN’s findings as a consequence of Hamas’ attack on October 7—human rights violations should not be justified by other events.
• Do not legitimize Israel’s accusations of UN bias as a reason to dismiss the report. This undermines the credibility of independent investigations.
• Do not isolate this report—instead, place it within the broader context of systemic oppression, apartheid, and settler-colonial violence against Indigenous Palestinians.

The findings of this UN report are a stark reminder of the urgent need for accountability and justice, The international community must not remain silent in the face of such grave violations.​

The media must inform, not obscure. Ethical journalism ensures that crimes against humanity are recognized, not erased.

For further guidance or expert insights, contact media@justiceforall.org