Delegates at a Pacific media conference in Fiji two weeks ago heard distressing stories from female reporters who have faced threats of violence and harassment.
This situation raises a critical question: are adequate measures in place to protect female journalists in the Pacific?
In 2022, the Fiji Women’s Rights Movement, in collaboration with the University of the South Pacific Journalism Programme, released a research report on the prevalence and impact of sexual harassment on female journalists in Fiji. The survey included 42 respondents aged between 22 and 51, with an average age of 33.2 years and an average work experience of 8.3 years. Most respondents (80.5 percent) worked in print media, while others were in online and broadcasting fields.
The majority of respondents acknowledged being aware of incidents of sexual harassment. ABC’s Fiji reporter, Lice Movono, an experienced journalist who has worked for RNZ Pacific and The Guardian, was not surprised by these findings, noting that such incidents were familiar to her.
“There were incidents I had encountered, and some my close friends experienced. I was shocked that it was still happening and even more widespread,” Movono said. Despite women taking steps to report harassment or ask for help, Movono realized that enough was not being done to protect them. “Their concerns and experiences were often invalidated, and they were told to just deal with it.”
The report highlighted that victims often bore the burden and responsibility for the harassment. Movono emphasized, “No, I don’t think enough was done.”
Laisa Bulatale from the Fiji Women’s Rights Movement noted that many women experienced verbal, physical, gestural, and online harassment not only in the workplace but also while on assignments or conducting interviews with high-ranking officials, MPs, and sports personalities.
Bulatale mentioned that female journalists were hesitant to report these issues due to fear of victim-blaming and shame. Many did not feel confident in the complaint processes within their organizations.
Georgina Kekea, an experienced journalist from the Solomon Islands and editor of Tauvali News, conducted a similar survey among female reporters in her country. She found that the experiences shared validated the challenges faced by female journalists. Kekea pointed out that newsroom superiors, often male, did not fully understand the issues faced by female journalists, influenced by cultural factors common in Melanesian societies.
Alex Rheeney, former news editor of PNG’s Post-Courier and the Samoa Observer, expressed concern about the challenges female journalists face, noting that such issues were unacceptable and need immediate attention. Rheeney emphasized the importance of newsrooms developing policies to ensure the safety and welfare of female reporters.
Reflecting on his time as editor of the Post Courier, Rheeney recalled personally driving a female reporter to the police station to get a restraining order against her husband, highlighting a need for industry-wide proactive actions rather than reactive measures.
Rheeney called for more robust mechanisms across the Pacific media industry to protect female journalists both in newsrooms and on assignments. “We can’t afford to sit back and just wait for it to happen; we need to be proactive.”
The media industry in the Pacific must implement more measures to safeguard female journalists and ensure their safety and well-being at work and in the field.