Study Finds 69% of Media Harassment Cases Hidden

A new multi-country study has found that 69 percent of sexual harassment cases in media workplaces go unreported, while nearly one in three media professionals has experienced harassment on the job.

The findings, released on Thursday, also showed that women are disproportionately affected, facing significantly higher rates of harassment than men.

The study was jointly conducted by WAN-IFRA Women in News, City St George’s, University of London and BBC Media Action. It surveyed more than 2,800 media professionals across 21 countries in Southeast Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Arab region, and Ukraine.

According to the report, women globally face verbal sexual harassment at rates 2.4 times higher than men and are 1.8 times more likely to encounter online sexual harassment related to their work.

The study found that 29 percent of respondents had experienced workplace sexual harassment. However, 69 percent of survivors said they did not report the incidents, raising concerns about workplace culture and accountability.

Cases of physical harassment were less common but remained a serious concern. One-quarter of respondents reported experiencing physical harassment. The survey also found that 5 percent of women and 4 percent of men identified themselves as survivors of rape.

Dr. Lindsey Blumell of City St George’s, University of London, said workplace harassment has far-reaching consequences beyond individual experiences.

She noted that experiencing harassment lowers job satisfaction and increases the likelihood of professionals leaving the media industry.

The study showed that organizations took action in only 65 percent of reported cases, with responses often limited to informal measures.

Susan Makore, Managing Director of WAN-IFRA Women in News, said the high number of unreported cases reflects broader issues of trust and accountability in newsroom environments.

Regional differences were also highlighted in the findings. Africa recorded the highest prevalence of workplace sexual harassment at 33 percent, followed by the Arab region at 31 percent. Southeast Asia reported 19 percent, while Ukraine recorded 12 percent.

The report also included countries that had not previously been covered in similar studies, including Bangladesh, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Somalia, and South Sudan.

Among 339 respondents in Bangladesh, 17 percent reported experiencing workplace sexual harassment, slightly below the Southeast Asian regional average.

The Bangladesh findings indicated that female media professionals were nearly six times more likely than their male colleagues to face harassment.

Around 60 percent of female respondents reported verbal harassment, compared with 9 percent of male respondents. Meanwhile, 48 percent of women reported online harassment linked to work, compared with 15 percent of men.

The study further found that 24 percent of female respondents experienced physical sexual harassment, compared with 4 percent of men.

Many survivors in Bangladesh said they avoided reporting incidents due to concerns over career consequences. More than half of female respondents who experienced verbal harassment said they did not formally report it. In a significant share of reported cases, respondents said employers failed to take action.

The study said strengthening workplace safeguards and accountability mechanisms remains essential to creating safer and more inclusive newsroom environments.