Morocco’s Press Union Commits to Combating Harassment, Gender-Based Violence

Doha – The Moroccan National Press Union (SNPM) has pledged to establish a dedicated internal mechanism to combat harassment and gender-based violence in the media sector.

This commitment follows two workshops organized by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) on October 2-3 in Casablanca.

According to the IFJ, the workshops focused on the critical role of implementing mechanisms to address sexual harassment complaints within unions, the importance of the ILO 190 Convention in tackling gender-based violence, and strategies to improve journalists’ working conditions.

The sessions were part of the project “Safe and equal media sector for women and young journalists,” which aims to strengthen trade unions’ and journalists’ rights and ensure a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual and gender-based violence.

During the workshops, expert Mounia Hajib and lawyer Meriem Jamal Idrissi emphasized the significance of the ILO 190 Convention in combating sexual harassment in the workplace. Idrissi stated, “It is the first international treaty to recognise the right of everyone to a world of work free from violence and harassment, including gender-based violence.”

The SNPM will establish a committee of 11 union members with expertise in gender equality and press freedom issues, as well as members of the National Federal Council. The committee will be led by a woman journalist and will comprise an equal number of men and women.

Additionally, the panel will include five external individuals with extensive knowledge and experience in human rights, gender-based violence, and psychology, among other areas. The committee will ensure broad representation across Morocco, allowing each member to receive complaints and monitor cases in coordination with regional offices.

In addition to addressing harassment and gender-based violence, the SNPM also outlined priorities to support journalists’ fundamental right to access information and renew their collective agreement for better working conditions.

SNPM President Abdelkebir Khchichine stressed the need to strengthen tools and mechanisms to defend journalists’ rights in the country and emphasized the importance of engaging young journalists in unions.

“Young union leaders play a critical role in keeping pace with the profound transformations in the media industry. Our responsibility is to ensure that trade unions are a tool to steer positive change,” he said.

IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger expressed the organization’s full commitment to SNPM’s priorities.

“Providing a safe working environment that upholds journalists’ professional and social rights is essential for the development of the profession and its sustainability,” he stated. “The fight for decent working conditions and journalists’ rights is global. Moroccan journalists can count on our full support on this front.”