Female journos in Bangladesh 6 times more likely to face sexual harassment: Study

Highlights:

• Over half of survivors do not report harassment incidents
• Employers take no action in 43% of reported harassment cases
• 48% of women face online sexual harassment in media workplaces
• Bangladesh harassment rate in media stands below Southeast Asia average
• Global study finds 69% of harassment survivors do not report incidents

Female journalists and media professionals in Bangladesh are nearly six times more likely than their male colleagues to face sexual harassment at work, while most incidents go unreported due to fears of career repercussions, according to a new international study.

The survey, which covered 339 media professionals in Bangladesh, found that 60% of female respondents experienced verbal sexual harassment, compared with 9% of male respondents.

The findings were published as part of a multi-country study conducted by WAN-IFRA Women in News, City St George's, University of London, and BBC Media Action, which surveyed more than 2,800 media professionals across 21 countries.

Infographic: TBS

According to the findings, 17% of female media professionals had experienced workplace sexual harassment. More than half said they did not report the incidents, while employers failed to take action in 43% of reported cases.

The survey also found that 48% of women experienced work-related online sexual harassment, compared with 15% of men.

The study further found that 24% of women had experienced physical sexual harassment, while 4% of men reported similar experiences.

Most survivors in Bangladesh did not report incidents, mainly because of concerns about possible consequences for their careers.

Among female media professionals who experienced verbal harassment, 52% said they did not report the abuse. In 43% of reported cases, employers were said to have taken no action.

The report noted that Bangladesh's overall rate of workplace sexual harassment among media professionals, at 17%, was slightly below the Southeast Asian regional average of 19%.

Globally, the study found that 29% of media professionals experienced sexual harassment at work, while 69% of survivors did not report the incidents.

The study showed that women were disproportionately affected worldwide, facing 2.4 times more verbal sexual harassment than men and being 1.8 times more likely to face online sexual harassment.

A quarter of all respondents reported physical harassment, while 5% of women and 4% of men said they were rape survivors.

"Sexual harassment has a deeply negative impact on those who experience it and the general working atmosphere in newsrooms. Research shows that no matter the type of harassment, experiencing it decreases job satisfaction and increases the risk of leaving the industry," said Dr Lindsey Blumell of City St George's, University of London.

The study found the prevalence of sexual harassment was highest in Africa at 33%, followed by the Arab region at 31%. Southeast Asia recorded 19%, while Ukraine reported 12%.

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 included countries not previously covered in similar research, including Bangladesh, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Somalia and South Sudan.

BBC Media Action, which participated in the study, said it has been working in Bangladesh to prevent harassment in the media sector through training, engagement with media leaders and the formation of harassment response groups.

The organisation also developed what it described as Bangladesh's first sexual harassment response protocol for newsrooms, which was formally launched in March this year.