Govt supports moves to end sexual harassment in newsrooms

Harare (New Ziana) -The government is concerned about the rampant cases of sexual harassment occurring in the media and fully supports a guiding policy that seeks to bring the vice to an end.

Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Jenfan Muswere said this while addressing stakeholders during a validation workshop for the Zimbabwe media sector sexual harassment policy which was held in the capital on Wednesday.

The Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) organised the workshop in partnership with the Women in News Africa Region (WAN-INFRA) to discuss and adopt the policy framework aimed at creating safe working environments in newsrooms.

Muswere said the initiative was timely as it comes against the backdrop of calls from various stakeholders to urgently deal with cases of sexual harassment which continue to be reported in the media industry.

“I believe that your coming together for cross pollination and the triangulation of ideas that is going to take place given your different backgrounds is going to assist us as government to be able to come up with a watertight, sustainable, forward looking sexual harassment policy in the newsrooms.

“It is of paramount importance that you discuss, validate and further research and standardize a good policy that will take care of every individual who is part of the media industry,” he said.

He said the government was in the middle of developing a media policy, widening the need for empirical evidence with the correct value information on what is taking place across all newsrooms.

Muswere commended the ZMC, which is mandated to regulate the media industry by the Constitution, for finding it necessary and urgent to facilitate the development of a policy framework for providing redress in instances where cases of sexual harassment are reported in the workplaces.

“I heard a presentation made by one female who has encountered sexual harassment in the newsroom, it was heart breaking but I also want to understand the men’s perspective because there are also challenges.

“It is in this context that the Government views sexual harassment as a violation of human rights and a form of sex discrimination that affects everyone,” he said.

ZMC commissioner Jasper Maphosa commended stakeholders for taking time to formulate the media sexual harassment policy, adding the organisation will work on all the recommendations made before distributing a final draft to the various media houses for consideration.

New Ziana