SEXUAL HARASSMENT AGAINST GHANAIAN STUDENT JOURNALISTS AND THEIR INDIVIDUAL NEGOTIATION STRATEGIES(FINAL PRODUCTION)

 by Sophia Torvi   - October 26, 2021

The Canadian Human Rights Commission defined harassment as a form of discrimination that includes any unwanted physical or verbal behavior that offends or humiliates a person. Equality and Human Rights Commission also defined harassment as in unwanted behavior that one finds offensive.

Journalists are expected to be watch dogs of the society and to inform the general public. The hold themselves to a certain code of ethics and make very important decision when reporting news to the world. Journalist become the voice for the voiceless hence, become a tool for change in our society.

A picture of the Constitution of Ghana Book

Article167 (6) of the constitution of Ghana mandates the National Media Commission (NMC) to ensure that the media grow, perform and progress responsibly. Thus, the commission’s clear responsibility to ensure that, every effort is made by the media to raise the practice of the profession to the highest level of obtaining anywhere.

This clearly indicates that the media profession cannot be stained in the course of exercising our duties are journalists. The training of students to become journalists already make them part of the media fraternity where they operate as media practitioners following the ethical journalistic guidelines. Student journalist are not only trained to watch events unfold but tackles different stories that extends far beyond their campuses.

Harassment has been a phenomenon students face almost every day of their lives. Student journalists fall victim to sexual harassment from their supervisors, editors, and mostly interviewees due to how desperate they are in having a successful career. Leading to a spiral of silence about the matter over the years. Most victims try to handle the issue on their own for a variety of reasons, including the social stigma attached to harassment cases, fear of the consequences for reporting, high ignorance of human rights among employees, the unprofessional and insensitive manner in which complaints are generally dealt with in organizations and lack of laid down channels for filing complaints of sexual harassment (Andoh, 2001). This makes them suffer in silence because they feel they are the only ones in that position and fear isolation after voicing out their problems. In subsequent years, some media outlets had had discussions surrounding the surge of sexual violence in the secondary and tertiary levels of education in Ghana. Some victims who suffer sexual harassment mostly shy away, keeping their predicaments to themselves.  

The documentary “THE SILENT MOUTHPIECE” had some students break the spiral of silence by sharing the nature of their sexual experiences.



These student journalists did not just go through the harassment faced during their line of duties but were able to develop positive strategies to save themselves from falling into the hands of these sexual predators.



If some students are able to go through challenges in the acquisition of a successful career, then you can also succeed.

Some sexual harassment activist

Come together let’s help break the spiral of silence on the harassment of student journalist to mobilize support from activist groups to help fight sexual harassment against students and not just student journalists.

Together, we can!

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