A new survey has said that at least two male and seven women journalists (1.1 per cent male and 7.4 per cent women) were sexually harassed in 2025 in Bangladesh's media outlets.
The study said out of the participants from Bangladeshi journalists 60 per cent of women in the 2025 survey cited experiencing verbal harassment at least once, contrasted with 9 per cent (15) of male respondents.
The survey, conducted in 2025 by the international study by WAN-IFRA Women in News in partnership City, St George's University of London and BBC Media Action, is the largest of its kind to focus on men, women and gender non-conforming media professionals across 20 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Arab region, Southeast Asia, and Ukraine, the report was published from Germany last week.
The survey included 100 women, 190 men, four gender non-conforming and 45 who preferred to self describe. However, a total of 339 participants took part in the survey from Bangladesh, revealed that fifteen per cent of journalists had experienced sexual harassment in their workplaces, with women reporting significantly higher rates of verbal, online and physical harassment than men.
Where verbal harassment was reported, organisational action was patchy. No action was taken in 43 per cent of cases for women and in 60 per cent of cases for men. Where action was taken, warning the perpetrator was most common.
To curb the harassment in media outlets, BBC Media Action has prepared a "Sexual Harassment Response Protocol for Media Professionals" aims to establish a 'zero tolerance' policy against sexual harassment in workplaces, raise awareness, clarify punitive measures and create an effective safety network.
"Gender balance cannot be achieved without a safe working environment. The protocol will serve as an accountability framework for owners and management authorities,' BBC Media Action country director Md Al Mamun said while unveiled the survey report and discussion on the "protocol" at a recent programme in Dhaka.
The programme was organised by BBC Media Action under its Strengthening Women Journalists' Network to Tackle Sexual Harassment initiative, supported by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, in partnership with the Women Journalists' Network Bangladesh.
Addressing the event, Newspaper Owners' Association of Bangladesh president Matiur Rahman Chowdhury, who is also the editor-in-chief of the daily Manab Zamin, said that all media professionals must work together to tackle sexual harassment in media houses.
"Media organisations must have a workplace culture where harassment is neither tolerated nor normalised, and where survivors feel safe to speak out without fear of retaliation or professional repercussions. They must lead by example and establish clear, accessible and confidential complaint mechanisms, ensure timely and impartial investigations, and enforce meaningful penalties for any misconduct. There should be no place for sexual harassment in newsrooms," he added.
