...
- offensive verbal comments related to sex, gender, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, age, race, religion;
- sexual or discriminatory images in public spaces;
- deliberate intimidation;
- stalking;
- harassing photography or recording;
- sustained disruption of talks or other events;
- inappropriate physical contact; and
- unwelcome sexual attention.
The official language lingua franca of OR is English; however, English may not be the native language of many OR participants so please be mindful of this by endeavoring to use respectful and clear language free of slang to facilitate communication. Please also consider that cultural norms around what might be considered obscene or offensive language will vary.
...
If a participant engages in harassing behavior, event organizers and Steering Committee representatives (or their designees) may take any action they deem appropriate, including warning the offender, expulsion from the OR conference, or contacting a higher authority such as a representative from the offender's institution. (See Protocol for Conflict Resolution.)
If a participant raises a concern relating to actions covered by this policy in good faith, there will be no retaliation for bringing forward their concern. Threatening or taking action against someone for invoking this policy or for participating in any related investigation will be considered a violation of this policy.
Participants are expected to follow the anti-harassment policy at all conference-related venues, conference-related social events, and online communication channels
...
Report
If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact a conference organizer or the Open Repositories Steering Committee (ORSC) immediately. The person who has been made aware of the incident will bring it immediately to the ORSC.
Members of the ORSC will convene expediently to discuss and document the incident and to act quickly and transparently, notifying the participant who raised the concern that it has been taken up by the ORSC.
Escalate
Find a conference organizer or a representative of the ORSC and they will assist you. Open Repositories conference organizers should be able to be identified by their name badges, and will help participants contact hotel/venue security or local law enforcement, provide escorts, or otherwise assist those experiencing harassment to feel safe for the duration of the conference.
If you have been harassed via social media, you may send forward snippets or URLs to the ORSC; their names are available on the OR wiki.
Resolve
If the incident results in corrective action, the community should support those harmed by the incident, either publicly or privately (whatever individuals are comfortable with). The ORSC or its designee assumes the responsibility of responding appropriately to reports of harassment. The ORSC will address the harassing party should the person who was harassed consents to this course of action, and will notify the person who reported the incident so they know action has been taken. The ORSC will also make public a written summary of the incident on the OR wiki for transparency though we will deal with the matter as confidentially as possible; involved parties' identities and the circumstances regarding any concern or complaint will not be disclosed in detail unless disclosure is necessary for the purposes of investigating or taking disciplinary action.
Should an individual aiming to help a victim of harassment encounter problems following the anti-harassment policy and protocol, that individual should engage the community about these issues. Then, the community should revise the policy or protocol appropriately to ensure a safe and welcoming community in which harassment is not tolerated.
Acknowledgments
Portions of this policy are modified from the Seattle Attic's code of conduct and the Ada Initiative's event harassment policy.
License
This document is licensed under Creative Commons BY-SA.