Who is raping Uganda’s men?

What the report says

The Observer reported that a panel discussion at the Uganda Editors Guild Convention in Jinja turned to new findings from the 2025 report on Sexual Harassment in the Media, which were presented by WAN-IFRA Women in News. The discussion was sparked by remarks from Radio Simba News Editor Dick Nvule, who questioned how male journalists could be counted among rape victims in a newsroom that is still largely male-dominated. The event brought together editors, media owners and industry leaders, including former Vision Group editor-in-chief Barbara Kaija, and also covered broader issues such as newsroom safety, artificial intelligence and media sustainability.

According to the survey figures cited in the report, 9% of male journalists in Uganda said they had been raped, compared with 4% of female journalists. The article said 3% of the 89 male respondents reported being raped more than five times, while none of the 116 female respondents said the same. The report also indicated that many incidents were not reported to authorities, with fear of retaliation, job loss and disbelief cited as reasons. Of those who did report, the article said some victims were transferred, emotional support was sometimes provided, and police were informed in a minority of cases.

The report also showed that overall sexual harassment in Ugandan media had fallen to 40%, down from 53% in 2020, but Women in News said sexual violence remained a concern. The article noted that women were still more likely to face verbal, physical and online harassment. Its wider significance is that newsroom abuse is being discussed not only as a women’s issue, but as a broader workplace safety problem affecting journalists of all genders.