Survey: Female Journalists Still Harassed and Abused during Work

Almost two thirds of female journalists interviewed during a global online survey directed by the International News Safety Institute and the International Women’s Media Foundation, have experienced intimidation, threats or abuse in the office or during field work, according to Slate.com.

The survey was completed by 875 female journalists, including 251 from the Asia-Pacific region, 189 from North America, 172 from Europe, 111 from Africa, 98 from Latin America and 15 from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CSI).

The results of the research show that the majority of harassments and abuses took place at work and were committed by male bosses and co-workers. Almost half of the interviewees said they had experienced sexual harassment by colleagues at work, including “unwanted comments on dress and appearance”. Twenty-one percent said they had experienced physical violence, while 13% had been sexually assaulted on the job.

A small portion of abuse and intimidation came from government officials (7%) and police officers (3%). When it came to physical violence, though, 23% of victims were assaulted by policemen. 

The survey also found that the majority of women who are victims of harassments do not report what happened to authorities due to the fear of being fired, even though “more than half of them confirmed that the experience had a psychological impact on them”.

This study also recalls some highly mediatized sexual assault cases against female journalists, including the gruesome assault of CBS journalist Lara Logan (see picture) who was sexually abused by a crowd of men while covering the protests in Cairo, Egypt in 2011. 

The full results of the survey, which was carried out with funding from the Government of Austria and supported by UNESCO, can be accessed here.

Photo Source: www.slate.com