Zimbabwe joins the rest of the world in commemorating World Press Freedom Day today with the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ) saying it would focus on addressing sexual harassment in the media.
Foster Dongozi, ZUJ secretary-general, said sexual harassment had become a cancer in newsrooms.
Female journalists have often complained against alleged harassment by their male counterparts. Thelma Chikwanha, a female journalist, said this year’s theme was important because cases of sexual harassment were on the increase.
“I think sexual harassment is a serious issue that needs to be addressed in a holistic manner if true empowerment for women in the media is to be achieved,” Chikwanha said.
“Sexual harassment hinders a lot of female journalists from attaining positions of authority in the newsrooms. Most women who opt to leave the newsroom do so because they would have been sexually harassed.”
Federation of African Media Women Zimbabwe information officer Patricia Mabvorokosho concurred. “Most of the time, women get subjected to sexual harassment in the newsroom and they might be demotivated and seek refuge in the corporate world,” she said.
“Jobs are difficult to come by and men with positions of authority abuse women looking for work by asking for sexual favours in exchange for employment.”
In a Press statement, Dongozi said the campaign had been necessitated by the increased number of complaints, especially from female journalists who claimed to be victims of sexual harassment at their workplaces and from news sources.
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“The launch is only going to instigate the discussion on tracing causes of sexual harassment in the media, searching solutions, exploring legal and policy frameworks to reduce the cases and mapping the way forward,” he said.
