Ecuador: CFWIJ Condemns The Workplace Harassment Faced By Journalist Fabiola Santana
Location: Ecuador, Quito
Date: June 12, 2021
Journalist Fabiola Santana was forced to resign from her position at TC Televisión after repeated complaints regarding the toxic workplace culture she was being forced to confront. Reportedly, Fabiola’s complaints were not taken seriously even though the matter had been ongoing since 2019.
In a tweet posted on June 9, Fabiola Santana announced her resignation from TC Televisión claiming she will not face any more abuse.
According to correspondence between Fabiola and her workplace management, Fabiola was on the receiving end of abusive behaviour by her colleague and the regional news director of TC Televisión, María Belén Loor. In her emails Fabiola states that she is purposely excluded from editorial meetings, expected to be on field without the proper equipment and sidelined within the company. The conflict has been ongoing since August 6, 2019 when Fabiola first approached the management at TC Televisión regarding her complaints. The response, however, remained unsatisfactory. Almost two years after the first time Fabiola registered her grievance, she is finally forced to resign due to the non-cooperation.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the circumstances that were created for a woman journalist where she was forced to resign from her workplace. Women journalists already have to face systemic discrimination within the news media industry, to have to go through such an ordeal at the hands of another woman colleague is truly reprehensible. The only way to demand a more just world for women is to practice the feminist ethic that is preached. CFWIJ extends solidarity to Fabiola Santana.
Si, yo pedí al @MinTrabajoEc que me conceda el visto bueno para irme de la empresa y no aguantar más maltratos. Pese a que me negó ese derecho, me siento triunfadora. Porque rompí el silencio. Porque perdí el miedo. Y no solo lo hice por mi https://t.co/mEmQRrTebl
— Fabiola Santana (@fabiolasantana2) June 9, 2021
The CFWIJ strongly condemns the police brutality against journalists. We demand the immediate return of the press cards seized from the security forces. Policies to intimidate journalists should be abandoned, and journalism should be practiced under the criteria of freedom of the press.
If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.