Media sector has launched a campaign against sexual harassment
By Memory Mudzani
Zimbabwean women in the media have launched a spirited campaign against sex pests in the industry, riding on research and surveys showing the problem of sexual harassment has gone on for years with hardly any sustained programme to tackle the menace.
Globally,sexual harassment remains the most frequently cited violation against women in the media.
In a 2021 survey by the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) Women in News Programme, 41 percent of women experienced verbal sexual harassment, compared to 11 percent of men while 27 percent of women, compared to zero (0) percent of men, experienced physical sexual harassment.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) outlines acts of sexual harassment as sex-based behavior that is unwelcome or offensive to the recipient.
Alongside the ILO, in Zimbabwe, the Labour Relations Amendment Act 2002, No.17 ,amendment of Section 8 of Cap: 28:01 (g) broadly defines sexual harassment as when an employer demands sexual favors from an individual as a condition of employment, creation or abolition of jobs, compensation decisions, training, transfer, promotion, or retrenchment., these acts of sexual abuse are considered harassment when submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly as a condition of employment.
According to information recorded by Zimfact, A single incident is enough to be considered sexual harassment, Sexual harassment is defined by the nature and the impact of the behavior not the intention behind it.
According to a Zimbabwe survey sponsored by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation Africa (FNF) in 2023, 73.42 percent of women in the media have been verbally harassed ,in another survey done by Women in News in 2021, 41 percent of women have experienced this harassment in Zimbabwe.
Zimfact noted that action taken by media organizations is limited, the most common response is a warning to the accused.
Research has shown that an estimated 29 percent of women in the news has been sexually abused physically and in instances where cases of physical harassment were noted, it is unfortunate that no action was taken against perpetrators who in most cases hold positions of influence in the surveyed media houses.
Overall, only 15.15 percent of women who were victims of sexual harassment in the newsroom were able to report their ordeal to the authorities and in some instances, women holding senior positions provided assistance to victims of sexual harassment.
Some women are reluctant to report sexual harassment because of weak company policies that do not protect women from sexual harassment, absence of reporting mechanisms, not knowing how to report and Fear of further victimization.
The law fully protect women from sexual harassment because Zimbabwe is a Member State of the International Labour Organization (ILO) thus the country is automatically bound by the core (ILO) Conventions even in the absence of ratification.
Zimbabwe’s National Constitution spells out the provision of gender equality in all forms of work both formal and informal, public or private but, however, this section is not supported by tangible statutes that can be adopted and enforced in the workplace to deter offenders.
In 2022, the Public Service Commission (PSC) launched the Public Service Sexual Harassment Policy which seeks to protect the dignity of the workers in the Public Service which is an imperative requirement for maximum work productivity and effective service delivery, the policy provides guidelines on reporting, investigating, and procedures for handling cases of sexual harassment.
Senior Zimbabwean women journalists, with the support of media organizations and women rights lobby groups who are spearheading the campaign against sexual harassment in the sector, say they hope to sustain the fight with a push for new policies, practical implementation of plans in the industry, including offering psychosocial support services and pursuing all cases of abuse.
The Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC), the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, the Public Service Commission (PSC) and the Zimbabwe Gender Commission are among the leading participants who are expected to use their oversight roles in pushing for real practical changes on the ground.
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