Why it pays to be a woman reporter in conflict zones
In our series on life at The Independent, Bel Trew explains how a hijab and sunglasses helped her melt into the crowd
The image of Martha Gellhorn hiding in the toilet of a hospital ship so she could cover the D-Day landings because as a female reporter she was not allowed to, is one that has inspired many women to become reporters. Her husband, Ernest Hemingway, never had a stowaway story because as an accredited male correspondent he was permitted to go.
Much has thankfully changed since the 1940s. But it is only in the last few years that newsrooms have woken up to the fact that women are not just equals but sometimes even better placed to report. I write this with immense respect for my male colleagues who do fantastic work. But the truth is in many circumstances women can move more freely.
In tricky conflict zones women can often more easily melt into the background. Across years of reporting on Libya, a country where abductions are on the rise, I have worn a hijab and sunglasses.
It makes it harder for would-be kidnappers to spot anything out of the ordinary in a cursory glance at a crowd. It is much harder for, say, a blond-haired male to keep such a low profile. Militias and armies alike are happy to speak to us but crucially so are women.
Women reporters are also seen as less of a threat which can help diffuse tense situations. This is not to paper over the difficulties women face on the ground, including the very real threat of sexual assault. Even on a banal level, however, there are logistical struggles. If you ask any female correspondent, many will surprisingly say the loo is the most common irritant they face.
I’ve been asked to pee out of the back of a cargo plane, beside an APC, or simply in the open near a frontline because of a lack of facilities. In Gaza, I’ve learned the best toilets are in bridal stores and once had to halt a convoy of militants I was about to interview, for a pit stop at a glittering gown shop.
The great Martha Gellhorn herself wrote about the difficulties of toilets in her travels and said a latrine in Chad “broke [her] lion heart.” But that never stopped her, or the many women that were inspired by her.
Yours, Bel Trew Middle East correspondent