SLAJ President Commits To Promote Gender Justice
Courtesies….
The Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) welcomes the initiative by Women in the Media Sierra Leone (WIMSAL), in collaboration with Comic Relief, to convene this vital Policy Dialogue Forum on Gender Justice in the Media.
The 2025 BBC Media Action report findings on Sexual Harassment in the Media are deeply concerning and that should compel all stakeholders to take decisive action. The reported disproportionate experiences of harassment among women media professionals, coupled with under-reporting and weak accountability mechanisms, demonstrate that safeguarding can no longer be treated as an optional or secondary issue within our media institutions.
As an Association committed to promoting press freedom, professionalism, ethics, and the welfare and safety of journalists, SLAJ recognises that there can be no truly free and credible media environment where journalists, particularly women, feel unsafe, intimidated, harassed, or unable to report abuse without fear of retaliation.
We therefore support efforts to strengthen gender-responsive safeguarding mechanisms across Sierra Leone’s media sector. Media institutions must have clear policies, accessible reporting channels, confidential complaint mechanisms, and fair and transparent procedures for addressing allegations of sexual harassment and other forms of abuse. Equally important is the responsibility of media leaders to ensure that these mechanisms are not merely adopted on paper, but are effectively implemented and enforced.
SLAJ also welcomes the proposed Safeguarding Charter and encourages media institutions and other stakeholders to endorse and uphold it. We must also recognise that addressing sexual harassment is not solely a women’s issue. It is a professional, institutional, and human rights issue that requires the commitment of media owners, editors, managers, journalists, journalism training institutions, professional associations, regulators, civil society organisations, and other stakeholders.
SLAJ remains committed to working with WIMSAL, media institutions, civil society, development partners, and other stakeholders to promote a media environment in which every journalist can perform their professional duties with dignity, security, and without fear of harassment or discrimination.
SLAJ therefore urge all media institutions to move from commitment to concrete action. Let us strengthen safeguarding systems, promote accountability, encourage reporting, protect survivors, and ensure that gender justice becomes an integral part of the future of Sierra Leone’s media.
Thank you….
