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In the course of the past few years the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) has been publicly criticised in relation to how we addressed complaints brought to our attention of sexual harassment and abuse committed by specific staff of an APC member organisation.
APC takes allegations of sexual harassment very seriously. They directly cause harm to the persons involved, and exacerbate discrimination on the basis of gender and sexuality in the workplace and in the rights-based and social justice movements we are part of.
We have not made any public statements on this matter thus far because we recognise the importance of confidentiality and privacy in addressing sexual harassment and abuse and the need to uphold consent and accuracy in disclosure, and to prevent further trauma.
As an organisation that commits to principles of human rights and gender justice and with strong feminist politics, we feel compelled to clarify to the best of our ability our response to these very serious allegations. We view this as an important exercise in peer accountability and an acknowledgement of how challenging it is to address this critical issue effectively in all of our work.
We received complaints of sexual harassment and abuse and sexist and misogynistic behaviour by specific staff members of one of our member organisations in 2013 and again in 2015. In total three incidents were brought to our attention.
Since then, we have made every effort to address these allegations to the extent that we can.
Organisations that are members of APC are guided by shared values, where respect for women’s rights is a core principle. We therefore responded to the complaints within the framework of our institutional relationship with our member organisation, guided by our bylaws.
Actions we have taken included interviews with the complainants and the staff of the organisation, an assessment of related social media communications, and a site visit to the member organisation’s physical office. This was followed by a confidential internal report to the APC board, and recommendations to the concerned APC member’s board on how the organisation could address the specific complaints, as well as sexual harassment more broadly. We kept the complainants informed to the best of our ability on measures available to them for taking their reports further with our member organisation, and fully respected their decision whether or not to do so based on their assessment of the safety and legitimacy of these measures. We responded to the best of our ability when concerns were raised with us directly, always respecting the privacy of those directly involved. APC also strengthened our own sexual harassment policy.
Finally the APC board reviewed the matter in the context of its membership conditions and processes.
The concerned APC member organisation responded, through its board, to APC’s efforts positively. They developed and introduced sexual harassment policies and more recently made improvements to the implementation of these policies. They also conducted an internal investigation and have taken measures to sanction the concerned staff member who was accused of the allegations.
While APC welcomed these actions, we felt that they did not go far enough given APC’s belief that the behaviour of staff members in civil society organisations who are in a position of power in relation to others should be beyond reproach.
Irrespective of whether the allegations can be proven or not, as a result of their seriousness and continuation, the APC board had to evaluate whether the continued membership of this organisation is in the best interests of the APC network and the furtherance of APC’s purpose.
After a long, thorough deliberation, the APC board has decided with regret to terminate the membership of the organisation.
However, we continue to believe in the value of the work of this organisation, as well as in the dedication of their staff to furthering human rights and democracy. We know that it is also important to recognise that the overall work of an organisation should not be dismissed based solely on the conduct of any single individual member of staff. We will continue to work with them as partners and trust that they will consider reapplying for APC membership in due course once the matters related to the sexual harassment allegations have been fully resolved.
This process and decision have been very challenging for APC. We have learned many lessons and we remain committed to addressing sexual harassment within the APC community in a way that is accountable to the network, as well as assuming responsibility for addressing this issue in the larger rights-based, social justice and women’s rights movements we are part of. We recognise the complexity and gravity of sexual harassment, and how difficult it is for those who face sexual harassment to raise this as an issue, especially when it occurs among human rights defenders. We appreciate the courage it takes to report such cases. We commit to working with others in the movements we are part of to find ways for those who face sexual harassment to be able to receive support and justice.
Due to the importance of the principles of privacy and confidentiality as discussed above, we do not anticipate a further public statement or discussion on this issue. However, we will welcome any constructive comments or questions that are directly sent to us, so that we may learn from this together to tackle this challenging issue in our work.
APC Board of Directors
2 November 2016
