On Nov.
26, The Moscow Times will host Women Against the Kremlin, a groundbreaking gathering of ladies leaders standing up against war and authoritarianism.Among the events crucial speakers is Ekaterina Kotrikadze, a Georgian-Russian journalist and presenter at TV Rain, Russias only independent broadcaster that now airs from exile in Amsterdam.Kotrikadze, 40, has been a pioneer of the #MeToo movement in Russia, as well as a vocal supporter for gender equality and democratic values.The Moscow Times sat down with Kotrikadze ahead of the event to talk about the state of womens rights in Russia, how Russian propaganda weaponizes women, and whether Russian journalism is still a male-dominated industry.This interview has actually been modified for length and clarity.The Moscow Times: In 2018, you became one of the very first female journalists to speak up about harassment by State Duma Deputy Leonid Slutsky, who has given that become head of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) a genuinely unprecedented and vibrant act for Russia at the time.
Do you consider it a sort of #MeToo minute? Has the circumstance for ladies in Russia altered since then?Ekaterina Kotrikadze: Of course, it was a #MeToo moment.
I was the very first to speak out, but I wish to stress that I was beyond Russia when I did it.
I do not understand what I would have done if I remained in Russia, so I have tremendous respect for the females who followed my example and spoke up about harassment by a federal government authorities while still in the country.I bear in mind that after I did that, I was surprised by the enormous amount of hate directed at me.
At some time, I decided to stop opening social media altogether since there were a lot of unfavorable reactions.Most critics were outraged that I stayed quiet for 7 years But individuals who know and understand what sexual harassment is in this case, we are discussing a young female journalist at the start of her profession and an all-powerful government official also comprehend how often victims are forced to remain silent since they feel frightened or guilty.Aside from the hate, I likewise got plenty of words of thankfulness, love and empathy from individuals.
I got numerous letters and e-mails from ladies who recognized that they do not need to tolerate [harassment] and can speak out [following my example] I remained in the United States when I spoke out [about this occurrence] and I comprehended exactly how and what to state about it, thanks to the #MeToo movement.Of course, viewpoints about that movement differ.
And possibly there have been some distortions, and some individuals have actually been wrongfully implicated.
For the many part, it was a motion of tremendously brave ladies who found the nerve to speak up.
I covered it and check out it thoroughly thats when I recognized that I, too, can do it.Workplace harassment has actually constantly been really common in Russia.
The scale of it was catastrophic.
In todays Russia, it is merely a nightmare.What can you state about Russian journalism because sense? Is it a male-dominated market? How tough is it for a lady to climb the profession ladder or to just do her job?This is a complex question.If you switch on the TV in Russia today you will see a lot of female anchors and celebs it has actually always been this way.At the very same time, when I started my very first internship in Ostankino [tv studio in Moscow] at 18, the very first thing I realized was that to become a personnel reporter I would have to sleep with the manufacturer.
It was so painfully apparent.
I felt so hurt since I believed that I could prove myself with my excellent journalistic work.
It just wasnt enough.
So I invested the internship wandering the hallways of Ostankino [ Television tower] due to the fact that no one wished to work with a young intern like me this is a very common scenario.Ekaterina Kotrikadze.Ekaterina Kotrikadze/ InstagramFemale journalists in Russia need to work 3, 4 or 10 times harder, and exert much more personal resources than males to make it in the industry.The scenario in Russian journalism reflects that in the remainder of the nation.
We have a female, [Federation Council Speaker] Valentina Matviyenko, standing 3rd in the chain of command.
Maria Zakharova is the face of Russias Foreign Ministry and [RT Chief Editor] Margarita Simonyan is the countrys chief propagandist.But ladies [in these functions] are just an exterior, one that hides what is happening with womens rights in Russia.
Their existence does not mean that women in Russia are complimentary and empowered at all.There is still no law criminalizing violence versus females in Russia.
It hasnt been adopted even after the long and hard battle that its female authors have actually set up [in the State Duma] what else is this, if not a demonstration of the male-dominated society that Russia is?Men guideline whatever in Russia.
The worst part is that most of these guys are Soviet-minded individuals of the past.
They think that if a lady is lovely, then she should have to be harassed.How would you explain the state of womens rights in Russia today?I would call it borderline catastrophic.The basic mindset towards women ended up being a lot more dismissive amidst the major war with Ukraine.Have you seen the pamphlets released to females whose hubbies came back from the frontlines? They recommend women to never ever approach their other halves from behind so as not to frighten them, and never ever to raise their voices.
They likewise recommend ladies to simply sustain any possible bursts of anger from their husbands.
Nobody even thinks of encouraging women on how to save themselves from abuse, or using professional mental assistance to these guys with PTSD.How does Russian propaganda make it possible for violence against women?Their technique is basic, but very effective.They selected the discourse of standard family worths.
What do they suggest by that? They claim that standard household values have to do with Orthodoxy, respecting ones household, respecting the elderly and taking care of children.
The propaganda also contrasts the traditional values of Russia with unethical Europe.But when you dig a little deeper, you start to see that Russian propagandas traditional household is a family where a spouse guidelines whatever and where the sole purpose of a lady is childbirth.Even before this, lots of Russian ladies were sidelined, and deprived of all opportunities.Millions of Russian ladies never ever ended up being well-known authors, engineers, astronauts or mathematicians because society and the state clipped their wings.Ekaterina Kotrikadze.Ekaterina Kotrikadze/ InstagramWhat is it like to do journalism especially television journalism in exile? What has actually altered in your daily work since you left Russia?TV Rain never ever attempted to change, nor does it plan to, into media of a different kind, or with a different audience.
We remain a Russian media.
I think this is what makes TV Rains work so valuable.Before we left [Russia in March 2022] ...
I had an on-air interview with investigative reporter Christo Grozev, who informed me that we should not be concerned [about operating in exile] in the modern-day world where the internet exists and where there are a lot of technologies that allow journalists to work from another location.
I didnt truly pay attention to that remark at that time, but when the majority of us in fact left Russia, we saw with our own eyes that doing our work was still possible.But then, we encountered another issue: television Rain was identified an unfavorable company, which landed us in what looked like a deadlock, because the Russian federal government now thinks about any cooperation with us a criminal offense.All in all, covering Russia from abroad would not have been as difficult if not for the fact that Russian authorities are constantly thinking of TV Rain.
They create brand-new [restrictive] efforts [versus the channel] practically every month.Given the situations, we are constantly in a state of fight.
We have handled to make it through thus far, however it is very difficult.Russian opposition political leader Ilya Yashin stated in a recent interview with The Moscow Times that it is impossible to alter Russia from the outside.
In your viewpoint, can Russians living abroad, and their allies, in some way help Russian ladies in the fight for their rights?I think notifying individuals is vital I am answering as a reporter, I dont know what my response would be if I were a political leader.
As a reporter, I know for certain what our mission at Television Rain is.All female members of my editorial group are feminists.
This is amazing.
They inspire me.
I believe we, in turn, can motivate other people by example.We have 20 million audiences andwe goal to offer females in Russia the opportunity to breathe freely even for a minute while they are viewing our broadcasts.
We want to let them know that they can live a various life and that they have all the exact same rights as men.I believe info is profoundly effective, and immensely essential, especially for people who think that everything is over and dont see an escape.
There is a way out.
When the moment comes, they will know the best thing to do.And we [the reporters] will notify them when, and if, their rights are being broken.
We will inform them to discover a way out.
Due to the fact that even in Putins Russia one can find a method to leave their abuser after that, the possibilities are endless.