By SANFROSSA MANYINDA
THE World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA)’s Woman in News Programme has described the failure to report and manage sexual harassment in work places as alarming.
According to the eight-country study, nearly one in two women has been sexually harassed at work alongside one in five gender non-conforming individuals.
The eight countries that were surveyed are Botswana, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The new research that was released on Tuesday by WAN-IFRA provided first of its kind insight into the scale of sexual harassment in African media organisations.
The research which is the first phase of multi region study undertaken in partnership with City University in London, set out to collect credible information about the scale of harassment in news outlets in Africa and to establish what was being done to provide safer newsrooms.
Women in News Executive Director, Melanie Walker, observed that the research highlighted lack of trust in the organisation or sometimes a complete failure of management and systems to deal effectively with sexual harassment.
“This matters because the less confidence there is in an organization’s ability to address the problem, the less likely people are to see value in calling it out and the cycle will perpetuate.
“There are solutions, however, beginning with media owners and managers acknowledging the problem exists and then committing to ensuring a safer working space, not just for women but for all staff,” she said.
Ms Walker said it was important to change the culture of silence around harassment which could only come from the very top.
She observed that many cases of physical and verbal sexual harassment went unreported because the victims feared further victimisation and lack of confidence in management systems and interventions.
Meanwhile, WIN Africa Director, Jane Godia, said there was still a long way to go before staff were convinced and comfortable that they could report incidences of sexual harassment.
Ms Godia said the research provided evidence of the need for media organisations to recognize the extent of sexual harassment and put in place steps to provide a safer working environment.
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