A new multi-country study has found that 69 per cent of sexual harassment cases in media workplaces go unreported, while nearly one-third of media professionals have experienced harassment at work. Women face the greatest impact, encountering 2.4 times more harassment than men, according to a press release issued on Thursday.
The joint study, conducted by WAN-IFRA Women in News, City St George’s at the University of London, and BBC Media Action, surveyed more than 2,800 media professionals across 21 countries in Southeast Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Arab region, and Ukraine.
The research revealed that women globally experience 2.4 times more verbal sexual harassment than men and are 1.8 times more likely to face online harassment. Physical harassment and rape were less common but remained a consistent threat, with a quarter of respondents reporting physical harassment and 5 per cent of women and 4 per cent of men stating they were rape survivors.
Dr Lindsey Blumell of City St George’s, University of London, said, “Sexual harassment has a deeply negative impact on those who experience it and on the general working atmosphere in newsrooms. Our research shows that no matter the type of harassment, experiencing it decreases job satisfaction and increases the risk of leaving the industry.”
Nearly one in three respondents, or 29 per cent, reported experiencing sexual harassment at work, but 69 per cent of survivors did not report the incidents. Organisations took action in only 65 per cent of cases, often through informal or limited measures.
Susan Makore, Managing Director of WAN-IFRA Women in News, said, “When the majority of sexual harassment cases continue to go unreported, it signals a deeper failure of workplace culture, trust, and accountability. Sexual harassment in media is not an isolated workplace issue; it is a structural barrier that shapes who feels safe to participate, stay, and lead within journalism.”
The study highlighted regional disparities, with the highest prevalence in Africa at 33 per cent, followed by the Arab region at 31 per cent. Southeast Asia recorded 19 per cent, while Ukraine, included for the first time, reported 12 per cent. Countries newly studied include Bangladesh, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Somalia, and South Sudan, providing stronger global evidence on sexual harassment in media.
In Bangladesh, the survey of 339 respondents found that 17 per cent of media professionals experienced workplace sexual harassment, slightly below the Asian regional average of 19 per cent. Female journalists and media workers were almost six times more likely than their male colleagues to face harassment. Around 60 per cent of female respondents reported verbal harassment compared with 9 per cent of males, while 48 per cent experienced work-related online harassment, versus 15 per cent of males. Physical harassment affected 24 per cent of women and 4 per cent of men.
Most survivors in Bangladesh did not report incidents due to fears of career repercussions. Among female media professionals experiencing verbal harassment, 52 per cent did not report abuse, and in 43 per cent of cases that were reported, employers failed to take action.
Valeria Perasso, Media Development Advisor at BBC Media Action, said, “Sexual harassment is not only a matter of individual protection but also of newsroom governance and journalistic integrity. The comprehensive picture that emerges from this study will help inform organisational action and leadership practices in individual newsrooms and across the media sector.”
BBC Media Action has been working in Bangladesh to prevent harassment in the media, training female journalists, engaging with media leaders, forming harassment response groups, and developing the country’s first sexual harassment response protocol for newsrooms, formally launched in March.
