According to a report by The Huffington Post, a new study released by The International News Safety Institute (INSI) and the International Women’s Media Foundation found that a significant amount of female journalists all across the globe face abuse or sexual harassment at the workplace.
The study’s findings are based on the results of a survey that was administered to 875 women from various countries. All of the female respondents held positions in the major media industries – TV, radio, and newspaper. A large majority of them were journalists and/or reporters.
More than 64 percent of female journalists said they had a workplace experience involving “intimidation, threats, or abuse.” More than 50 percent of the abuse incidents involved a boss, supervisor, or co-worker.
The numbers for sexual assault cases were just as disturbing. Approximately 46 percent of the respondents reported being a victim of workplace sexual harassment. Additionally, around 13 percent said they experienced an instance of sexual violence in a work-related location.
The director of the INSI stated, “What this ground-breaking survey shows is that women journalists are often at risk in their own workplaces as well: targeted by their colleagues, and because they are let down by the very people they should be able to trust, the violence and harassment they face goes widely unreported and therefore unpunished.”
Sexual harassment is not just a problem for women in the media industry. Unfortunately, it is just as prominent in many other job fields. If you have experienced sexual harassment at work, you should report it to a supervisor, unless the supervisor is the perpetrator. It is important to gather evidence, such as written reports and documents describing the incident(s).
If your human resources department is dependable, write them a letter about your situation. And before you file any complaints, be sure to consult with an experienced Washington employment law attorney at Teller Law.