Sexual Harassment in the Media: A Practical Guide for Employers and Employees

"Everyone has the right to be free from sexual harassment regardless of their gender, sexuality and age."

Women in News (WIN) has developed this practical tool for media employers and employees to deal with and prevent sexual harassment in media organisations. The tool explains procedures and provides practical steps, guidance, and templates that can be applied across media organisations.

As explained in the guide, "sexual harassment in the news media industry is a pervasive and global problem." The report cites a 2013-14 global study that found that 48% of female journalists had experienced some form of sexual harassment in their job, with 83% saying they did not report the incidents. In 2017, WIN carried out its own survey of 119 women in 9 countries across sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The survey showed that in Africa, 64% of women had been verbally harassed, while 24% had been physically harassed. In MENA, 59% had been verbally harassed, while 17% had been physically harassed. Only 29% of women who had been sexually harassed reported the incident.

The guide makes the point that "Change begins with increased awareness, dialogue and, crucially, the creation of policies and procedures that help establish working environments that are free from sexual harassment." This resource has therefore been developed to assist with bringing about this change and covers the following content:

1. Facts about sexual harassment at work - This is a general section for both media employers and employees that covers:

• The global scale of the problem of sexual harassment
• The rights that are violated by sexual harassment
• The law (in most countries) around sexual harassment
• The costs of sexual harassment to everyone, including: The person being harassed, the harasser, the media organisation, and society

2. What is sexual harassment at work? - This section aims to help media employers and employees understand:

• What the term 'sexual harassment' means
• What types of behaviour count as sexual harassment, with examples
• What constitutes the 'workplace'
• Who sexual harassment tends to happen to and why, so that one can identify who is most at risk

3. Employer Guide - Designed for employers and people running media organisations, including senior executives, managers, and human resources departments, this section examines:

• Employers' professional and legal obligations to protect their employees against sexual harassment at work
• How to prevent sexual harassment in an organisation
• How to handle sexual harassment complaints
• What support to provide to employees in sexual harassment cases

4. Employee Guide - This section of the guide is for all employees of media organisations, regardless of whether they are employed or freelance, editorial or non-editorial, junior or senior. It explores:

• Their rights around sexual harassment
• What steps to take if employees are being sexually harassed at work
• What steps to take if employees are aware that someone is being sexually harassed at work
• What steps to take if employees have been accused of sexual harassment at work

5. Tools - This section offers some practical tools for media employers to help prevent and deal with sexual harassment, including:

• A sample sexual harassment policy
• A sample sexual harassment survey
• A sample templates for communications
• A sexual harassment awareness poster to display in newsrooms and offices