EA - Promoting Safety in EA: Practical Steps to Prevent Sexual Harassment & Code of Conduct for Your Use by Michal Greidinger

Welcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: Promoting Safety in EA: Practical Steps to Prevent Sexual Harassment & Code of Conduct for Your Use, published by Michal Greidinger on September 6, 2023 on The Effective Altruism Forum.EA communities tend to be a professional space and a social space, all at once. This reality can often involve complex power dynamics that require careful attention. To maintain safe spaces, it is crucial to establish guiding rules for our communities. In this post, I would like to share EA Israel's concise code of conduct for preventing sexual harassment, which is based on Israeli law. Before diving into that, we suggest some practical steps you can take to promote the safety of your community.What can you do to prevent sexual harassment in your EA community?As a community managerDesignate a responsible person, either a team member or volunteer, dedicated to sexual harassment prevention and community health in your community. This person should be committed to this subject, ideally with some professional experience in dealing with emotionally challenging situation. Nominate another person, preferably from a different gender, as a contact person when the main representative is unavailable / connected to the harassment case / just in case someone prefers to speak with someone else.Ensure they receive professional training, including emotional and legal aspects, that they are able to commit to this role for a long-enough duration, and that they establish a code of conduct against sexual harassment.As a community health and preventing sexual harassment representativeSet a code of conduct to prevent sexual harassment and publish it widely, so that every old and new community member encounters it at some point. Clearly identify yourself as the primary point of contact for addressing harassment issues, and make it super-easy to contact you.As a community memberAsk your community manager to nominate a responsible person for sexual harassment prevention and community health. Ask for the adoption of a code of conduct, such as the one shared in this post, or encourage the development of a customized code of conduct that suits your community's needs and fits the local law.You, as an EA worker or a community member, can help to create an environment where everyone feels respected and protected.EA Israel's Code of Conduct for preventing sexual harassmentThe rest of this section is EA Israel's short version code of conduct, based on the Israeli law.Effective Altruism Israel strives to create a sense of safety and comfort among its staff and community. Sexual harassment is strictly against the organization's policy.Prohibited acts according to the lawThreatening or coercing a person to engage in acts of a sexual nature.Indecent acts / lascivious behaviour.Repeated proposals of a sexually oriented nature, even if the person to whom the proposals are directed has shown a lack of interest in them. However, there is no need to demonstrate a "lack of interest" in a relationship of authority with an inherent power imbalance, or in a dependent, educational or therapeutic relationship with a minor, a patient, or someone defenseless in other ways.Persistent references focused on a person's sex or sexuality, even if the person to whom the behavior is directed has shown disinterest. There is no need to demonstrate "lack of interest" in cases mentioned in paragraph (3) above.Derogatory or demeaning treatment towards a person regarding their sex or sexuality, including their sexual orientation, whether or not they have expressed that it bothers them.Publishing a photograph, film, or recording that focuses on a person's sexuality, in circumstances where the publication may degrade or demean the person, and consent for publication has not been given.Prohibited retaliation: Harming a person as a...