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We join our voices to end sexual harassment

2021-11-25. On this International Day for the Elimination of Violence against women that marks the start of the 16-days of activism against gender-based violence campaign, we join our voices to end sexual harassment.

by Vincent Peyrègne vincent.peyregne@wan-ifra.org | November 25, 2021

Sexual harassment in the media industry is a pervasive and global problem. Preliminary results from an ongoing Women in News research study on the subjects indicate that more than 1 in 3 women media professionals in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia have been physically harassed, and just under 50% have been verbally harassed. Sexual harassment in the workplace not only has consequences for the individuals involved but also has serious implications for media organisations. Simply put, it’s bad for business. It can harm a media company’s corporate reputation.

It is a drain on the productivity of staff and managers. Maintaining and building trust in your brand is an absolute imperative for media organisations globally. If and when a case gets out of control or is badly handled – this can directly impact a company’s bottom line.

WAN-IFRA’s Women in News (WIN) works to eradicate sexual harassment from the media industry, in support of its vision of an industry that embraces equality. We do so by conducting training for media managers and by providing practical tools to help newsrooms manage and reduce incidents of sexual harassment. Our bespoke coaching, online training and large-scale (currently virtual) workshops are supported by best-in-class resources, including toolkits.

In 2021 WIN will release results from a large-scale research project on sexual harassment in the media industry. The research, conducted in partnership with City University and supported by Ahram Canadian University in the Arab Region, aims to bring forward experiences and quantitative data from media operating in 19 countries throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, the Arab Region, Southeast Asia, Russia and, Central America.

This builds on research conducted by WIN in 2017 which identified a gap in available data on sexual harassment in media, specifically in these regions.

Check out WIN’s Tools for Managing Sexual Harassment

Sexual Harassment microsite Women in News has developed a practical tool for media employers and employees to deal with and prevent sexual harassment in media organisations. This tool not only explains procedures, but provides practical templates and guides that can be implemented in the organisation, and quizzes to test your knowledge at the end. Check out the website.

Sexual Harassment Handbook If you are looking for a printable version of this tool, download the handbook. This is a practical handbook for media employers and employees to deal with and prevent sexual harassment in their media organisations. The handbook is currently available in English, Arabic, Burmese, and Vietnamese. Read the Handbook.

Sexual Harassment Toolkit Women in News has developed a practical toolkit for media employers and employees to deal with and prevent sexual harassment in their media organisations. Discover the Toolkit.

WIN Accelerator Trainings WIN Leadership Accelerator is an intensive, nine-month-long career and leadership programme for journalists and editors working in Africa, the Arab Region and Southeast Asia. The programme accepts 100-150 applicants, annually. Women media professionals from the following countries are eligible to apply: Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe (WIN Africa), Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine (WIN Arab Region), Myanmar, Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia (Southeast Asia). Learn more.

Podcast Listen to this episode of “The Backstory”, a podcast series from WAN-IFRA titled: “You better be prepared: addressing sexual harassment in the media” to learn more about how can organisations create a work culture where sexual harassment does not happen. How can they identify it and address it when it does happen. Listen here.

Vincent Peyrègne

Vincent Peyrègne took up duties as Chief Executive Officer of WAN-IFRA in 2012. Prior to joining WAN-IFRA, he was Head of Development at Edipresse in Switzerland (now Tamedia) with responsibility for audience insights, editorial marketing research and product development, before joining the office of the French Ministry of Culture and Communication.

vincent.peyregne@wan-ifra.org

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