A 2025 global report on sexual harassment in the media shows that four in every 10 Ugandan journalists were sexually harassed either verbally, physically, or online last year, down from 53 per cent recorded in the 2020 survey. The 13 per cent improvement is worth celebrating, but 40 per cent prevalence of sexual harassment in newsrooms and in our line of duty is still too much. In general, more women than men are sexually harassed, and even more appalling is the fact that there are still cases of sexual violence or rape, with a notable uptick among male victims (nine per cent) compared to female victims (four per cent). The survey done by WAN-IFRA Women in News, City St George’s University of London and BBC Media Action, was released recently in Uganda, during a three-day Uganda Editors Guild convention. The big question was, who is raping these men in a society where historically, rape is perpetrated against women? Is there a possibility that men are raping fellow men? According to the report, sexual harassment perpetrators were reported to be mainly fellow employees in supervisory roles, as well as news sources. Because of the stigma that comes with the vice, many of the sexual harassment cases in both genders go unreported, which emboldens abusers. What is happening in the media profession could easily be a mirror of the level of sexual harassment – it could be even worse in other professions – happening elsewhere. This is a vice that needs collective effort to fight, not leaving it to individual CSOs and human rights bodies. In Uganda, The Employment Act, 2006 makes sexual harassment illegal and requires any workplace with 25 or more employees to have active preventative measures in place. Similarly, the Employment (Sexual Harassment) Regulations, 2012 mandate organizations to create formal written policies, set up internal complaints committees, and protect victims from retaliation. But who follows up on the implementation? Few organisations have an actual, accessible sexual harassment policy in place, and where it exists, it stands in not more than three paragraphs in the Human Resource manual. Anything that affects career choice, workplace safety and productivity should not be handled lightly. As Uganda seeks to make a big push into middle income status, let us also conform to global labour laws and make the workplace a safe space for all.The post Take sexual harassment seriously appeared first on The Observer Media Ltd.