By Martin Banks

International Women’s Day on Sunday (8 March) is an opportunity to celebrate achievements but also examine ongoing disparities in treatment.

To mark the event, MEPs will next week hear the testimony of Jackie Fox, who campaigns in memory of her daughter, a victim of cyberbullying.

Jackie Fox lost her daughter Nicole, known as ‘Coco’, in 2018 after sustained online abuse.

In response, she led the campaign for Coco’s Law in Ireland, pioneering legislation that criminalises online harassment and harmful digital communications.

Since entering into force in 2021, the law has become a benchmark in the fight against cyber violence and inspired the EPP Group’s call for stronger EU rules.

“Digital spaces must not be lawless. What is illegal offline must also be illegal online. The EU must act to protect women and girls from online abuse,” said Eleonora Meleti an EPP MEP and her Group spokeswoman for women’s rights.

An EPP Group spokesman added that it “has long pushed for cyberbullying and online abuse to be recognised as crimes across the EU.”

In a separate debate in Strasbourg on Monday, MEPs will review progress on addressing the gender pay and pension gaps in the EU, followed by a vote on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the National Union of Journalists says this year’s theme to Women’s Day – ‘Give to Gain’ – “encourages a mindset of generosity and collaboration.”

Supporting women journalists is essential to building fair, representative, and accountable media industry worldwide, it says. But, despite progress, significant gender disparities persist, says the Union.

In 2025 Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism revealed that only 27% of the 171 top editors across the 240 titles covered are women, even though on average 40% of journalists at those titles are women. This is a small increase from 2024, when the figure was 24% across the same titles.

The NUJ says, “This imbalance directly shapes editorial decision‑making and the framing of public narratives.

“At the same time women journalists continue to face structural challenges, including exclusionary newsroom norms, harassment, and online and offline violence – factors that hinder their career progression and compromise their safety.”

The Union goes on, “The rise of the far right has had a direct impact on the safety of women journalists more recently.

“Public discourse, social media commentary and the reporting on ‘Operation Raise the Flags’ and similar rallies have disproportionately focused on and amplified the highly divisive rhetoric and actions of anti-immigration campaigners.

“The increase in threats and attacks on immigrants inevitably normalises discrimination against other communities and places journalists covering the protests at risk of harm,” says the NUJ.