Today let’s take the media as a mirror of society as we talk about one of the worst forms of GBV- sexual harassment in the workplace.

Several studies and general information in the public domain indicate that sexual harassment is high in the media industry. So, by extrapolation, it is happening in all industries.

Yet there are few recorded reports of sexual harassment in Zimbabwean workplaces. And the reason is not because it is rare — but because it is protected.

Protected by silence, intimidation and hierarchy. Men who are guilty of the same behaviour and women who are beneficiaries of the compromised structures and are therefore invested in keeping the system intact.

In far too many organisations, sexual harassment allegations rise quietly, cause brief internal whispers, then mysteriously disappear without consequences.

The accused stays. The organisation “moves on.” And the world pretends nothing happened.

This is not coincidence. It is design. Somehow, every case evaporates — as if silence were the cure.

This is not the absence of misconduct. This is the absence of mechanisms. It means targets pushed out, punished or bribed into silence. “No reports” does not mean “no problem.”
It means victims have learned the cost of coming forward. And the continued silence is its own confession.

So at times some staged hearings are held. The outcome is predetermined.

Why predators survive: the leaders are implicated

Sexual predators thrive because:

• some bosses have their own skeletons
• some HR managers are complicit in covering up at the direction of higher ups
• some ministers would rather protect their politically exposed staff
• some women who got posts through patronage protect their positions by sacrificing the target

Punishing one predator threatens the entire chain. This is the Old Boys’ Network in action — polished, powerful, and deadly. And every time it blocks consequences, another woman pays the price.

Targets become double victims

A woman who reports is not just traumatised by the predator.
She is traumatised by the system that:

• pushes her out
• brands her “difficult”
• transfers her
• threatens her
• gaslights her
• or destroys her career

The workplace often does not eliminate predators. It annihilates the women who speak out.

Those who protect SH perpetrators must be held accountable.

• CEOs
• Directors
• HR heads
• Board chairs
• Permanent secretaries
• Ministers
• Editors-in-chief

If you blocked a report, used the system to frustrate a complainant, ignored a file, intimidated a victim, or transferred a predator instead of disciplining him, you are complicit.

And you must answer for it.

There is no point in beautiful policies by the Public Service Commission and private organisations if there is no follow up to check that reporting mechanisms are effective.

We must demand that bosses show verifiable reports that all complaints were handled competently and outcomes recorded. Anonymous online surveys at least once a year must be administered to check if the bosses’ reports match the information from the employees. And where cover ups are exposed, the boss must face the music.

The era of impunity is ending

Globally and locally, workplaces are shifting. Cultures are changing. Victims are speaking out louder than ever. Messages travel fast. Whistleblowers have platforms that bosses cannot shut down.

There is a growing understanding that:

• Sexual harassment is a crime.
• Silencing victims is obstruction.
• Transferring perpetrators is enabling abuse.
• Retaliation is unlawful.
• Cover-ups mean complicity.

The time is coming when you will be subpoenaed and powerful people will lose careers over what they helped hide.