Media organisations must have zero tolerance to sexual harassment within their organisations and must cultivate safe environments that allow women to realise their dreams as journalists.
Speaking at the WAN-INFRA Women in News Alums media conference held in Harare yesterday, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said sexual harassment was one of the major reasons why few women took up careers as journalists.
"As a Government, we call upon all media organisations to ensure they are zero tolerant to sexual harassment and develop sexual harassment policies that will provide procedures and guidelines to ensure nobody is made to feel unsafe within the work environment," she said.
"You will realise that in most cases, female students on attachment are harassed to such an extent that they will not yearn for a career in the newsroom after finishing school. This has seen less and less women taking up careers as journalists. We need to cultivate a culture where a girl child lives her passion in journalism."
Minister Mutsvangwa said a recent from Women in News published in January 2022 had aptly captured the high levels of sexual harassment incidences in the media field in one way or another.
She called on women in the industry to work together to defeat the culture that had some male journalists seeing women in terms of their sexual capabilities instead of professionalism.
WAN-IFRA's Women in News Leadership Accelerator Programme is an intensive nine-month-long career and leadership programme open to women journalists and editors working in Africa.
Yesterday, 17 female journalists from Zimbabwe were awarded with certificates after completing the programme last year.
Journalists and editors who take part in the programme acquire new skill sets and build their capacity through a combination of Coaching, Training, Mentoring and Networking.
Minister Mutsvangwa commended the 60 Zimbabwean journalists who have gone through the programme since its inception in 2010, most of whom had gone on to take up leadership positions in their organisations.
"I would like to challenge women who have made it to the top in the newsroom; the obligation is upon you to change the narrative," she said.
"Be the ladder that the other woman below you can climb. When I say women in power, I do not mean editors only, even those that are of lower ranks, be your sister's keeper and make sure you provide mentorship and protection to young female journalists that come into the newsrooms.
"Ensure that the newsroom is a safe place for students who come for attachments so they want to come back after school."
The Second Republic's Vision 2030 sought to promote gender equality and the participation of women in development processes as well as recognising women and gender mainstreaming as a critical element for the attainment of its goals.
Women In News deputy executive director and director for Africa Jane Godia said the vision was to have an industry in which men and women were equal.
"Equal in the way they are portrayed, equal in the way they are portrayed in news content and equal in their professional roles and treatment in newsrooms," she said.
"We know that when media organisations are unstable, women are the first victims to fall.
"Our mission is to see an increase in women's leadership and we do so by equipping women journalists and editors with strategies, skills and support networks."
Godia said the Alums conference was a way of bringing together all women in the media industry to speak with one voice as well as to celebrate each other and assist each other to rise.
One of the 2022 cohort WIN graduates, The Herald Features Editor Elita Chikwati said taking part in the programme had been a life changing experience.
"It did not only change me professionally, but even on personal issues," she said.
"It changed my perspective on many situations that I meet in life and at work. The programme prepares women in the newsrooms for higher positions. Through the mentorship programmes, one is able to discover their own weaknesses and how they can improve themselves professionally and personally."
Chikwati said some of the aspects of the programme had equipped her with skills to balance work and family and improved her journalistic skills.
"As women in the media, we were empowered to strive to improve ourselves academically, socially and economically so that we can qualify for higher positions," she said.
"This programme is going a long way to close the gender gap that exists in the newsrooms."
Another WIN alumni and editor of Manica Post Wendy Nyakurerwa-Matinde said the programme was critical in boosting the confidence of female journalists.
"Women are capable of doing so many things, but the issue is in not knowing what it is that they can do," she said.
"WIN gives you the roadmap that allows you to explore what you are good at and you can surprise yourself."
Nyakurerwa-Matinde said sexual harassment was a big challenge and it would take editors, particularly female editors, to start dealing with the scourge within the newsrooms.
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"Sexual harassment policies for every media company might help women to feel safe in the workplace," she said.
"Should these be put in place, we already have a good starting place since we have three big newspapers being run by women.
"The issue is now on those women being deliberate in the way that they do business even in terms of protecting the young ones, they should have an open door policy which encourages even students to approach them. We should also have deliberate policies that prioritise employing female journalists to create a balance within the newsrooms."
Zandile Ndlovu, a journalist from ZBC, said the accelerator programme had given female journalists a voice to be able to fight for their rights in the male dominated media space.
"Currently, only 13 percent of practising journalists are women, but there is such a difference because from the grassroots, when they come in for attachment, students are getting harassed by people in authority," she said.
"So, because they do not have a voice they cannot speak out. This programme has actually empowered us to come up with programmes that can address such issues."
Gracious Mugovera from The Patriot said she had benefited a lot from the programme and now had confidence to mentor young journalists.
