By Memory Mudzani
Female media workers are being abused in silence, they face physical, emotional and sexual abuse putting their safety at risk resulting in some female journalists quitting their profession.
Minister of Information ,publicity and broadcasting Honorable Jenfan Muswere, urged female journalists who attended gender media Conference recently hosted by Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF) to smash the glass that is hindering them from reaching the top position especially the glass of sexual harassment .
“The biggest challenge facing women in media is sexual harassment ,as the government of Zimbabwe we are working towards ensuring protection of the rights and freedoms of journalists as provided by the constitution of Zimbabwe , Zimbabwe Gender Commission as well as the Zimbabwe Media Commission are there to take care of the rights of journalists and we are also in the process of enacting the Sexual Harassment Policy, and the consultation process is already at an advanced stage,” said Minister Muswere.
Minister Muswere further encourages women in media industry to work hard to get to the top positions and not to play a part resulting in them being sexual harassed due to their laziness and expecting their male colleagues to do their work for them .
Faith Zaba also supported what minister Muswere said during the gender media Conference when she told female journalist who attended the conference to have perseverance, determination and the spirit of not giving up as those three aspects helped her to be where she is now.
Zaba also said that newsrooms are full of men trying to pull women down but she encourages women to have a fighting spirit and to be hard workers rather than to expect to get promotion through their beauty because if they allow that it will be easy for them to be sexual harassed in silence as it is hard to report such cases .
According to the information recently recorded by Newsday ZMC deputy chairperson, Commissioner Jasper Maposa, said the commission had to step in following a spike in reported cases of sexual harassment in the media sector, they have introduced an anti-sexual harassment draft validation policy to fight the vice at workplaces.
Maposa said they have taken significant steps in ensuring that human rights are promoted, protected, fulfilled and enjoyed by the Zimbabwean citizens, the Constitution of Zimbabwe provides for measures to achieve sub standing (sic) equality in terms of addressing gender dynamics and issues.
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