By Arasha Soila
Nairobi Kenya: Kenyan media houses have been called upon to combat sexual harassment in the newsrooms. This comes after reports showing an upsurge in sexual harassment cases in the media houses.
Research by WAN-IFRA has shown that an average of 41% of women in newsrooms experience verbal or physical harassment and only 1 in 5 reported the incidence, this leaves 80% of the cases unreported.
Among the few reported cases, action is taken in only half of them which is limited to giving warnings to the perpetrators.
The research further indicates that these experiences of sexual harassment were overwhelmingly perpetrated by fellow employees 40% or the management by 20%. The report by WAN-IFRA highlighted that sexual harassment is endemic in the news industry and that women and non-gender-conforming people are disproportionally affected. It also states that Kenyan media stations are leading in sexual harassment cases in Africa by 56%.
Speaking up and reporting sexual harassment cases still remains a challenge as women journalists fear the repercussions. Those who experience sexual harassment in the media often face retaliation if they speak out, making it difficult to report the behavior and seek justice. The fear of losing one’s job, and being attacked verbally, online, and physically impedes the victims from reporting. They end up living with a lot of weight on their shoulders which has contributed to their mass exit in the newsrooms.
AMWIK in partnership with UNESCO has launched a documentary on ‘breaking the silence on sexual harassment in media’. The project seeks to increase the capacity of women journalists by increasing public awareness on sexual harassment in the media.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=BafJzQk-Q6s&feature=share
The Executive Director of AMWIK has urged media stations to create conducive and safe working environments for journalists. The association has relentlessly continued working towards giving psychosocial support to journalists.
In a statement by the Kenya Union of Journalists, Secretary General, Eric Oduor pointed out that most of the sexual harassment cases in the newsrooms are perpetrated by senior managers. “These senior managers cover for each other leaving room for perpetrators to move from one media house to another. If facing sexual harassment, speak out as silence only emboldens the perpetrators,” he said.
He further articulated that media entities need to take responsibility by ensuring they have safe spaces for their employees and take swift action when sexual harassment cases are reported. “As a union, we are at the forefront of fighting for the rights of journalists. We also advocate for zero tolerance on sexual harassment,” he stated.
Victims of these incidences should always be bold enough to speak up, name and shame, and also reach out to advocacy groups for support. Sexual harassment cases should be addressed and not treated as a usual business.
Speaking during the launch, Sammy Muraya, Project Manager, JHR, said that there is a sense of hopelessness from the sexual harassment victims in the newsrooms as the perpetrators get away without being brought to book. “Human Resource policies on sexual harassment in newsrooms need to move from just documents to actualization,” said. He also affirmed that they will continue putting proper mechanisms in place.
Additionally, Rachel Ombaka, a journalist and media trainer also noted that sexual harassment has been normalized in newsrooms. “The normalization of sexual banter in the newsroom makes it difficult to report cases of sexual harassment,” she said.
“Issues of sexual harassment in the media must be handled holistically. This means that interventions must include psychosocial support,” Rachel spoke. She also emphasized that women journalists should be willing to go through the harrowing process of seeking legal avenues to get justice.
