Association For Electronic Music outlines Code Of Conduct Against Sexual Harassment & Gender Discrimination
The Code Of Conduct is meant to provide a universal set of rules and standards for companies and professionals operating in the electronic music industry, including AFEM’s 200-plus strong membership. It was developed by the group’s Diversity And Inclusion working group this year, with the main goal to “identify and correct the mechanisms and attitudes within electronic music culture which enable and facilitate perpetrators of sexual harassment and abuse to go unchallenged and unreported.” The hope is that more and more companies will adopt it as official policy as time goes on.
The Code Of Conduct is available for viewing and download as a PDF.
The main tenet of the code is that members should intervene to stop misconduct when possible, otherwise support those who speak up, and report misconduct according to the victim’s wishes. The idea is summarized in the three word phrase, “Stop. Support. Report.”
“Our hope is that this document will dissipate any uncertainties in regards to the type of behavior that should be encouraged or, conversely, penalized,” says Andreea Magdalina, founder of shesaid.so. “For women and other gender minorities these lines are clearly distinct, although we understand the nuanced scenarios in which they take place and the necessary education required to reinforce them. I welcome the CoC as a firm guideline that formalizes the dos and don’ts of gender-based interaction in the electronic music workplace—whether that’s online, in the office, the studio or on the dance floor.”
Rebekah, a British DJ who started the #ForTheMusic pledge against sexual harassment in dance music in September, says: “#ForTheMusic campaign and the #MeToo movement within electronic dance music 10,000 percent back the Code Of Conduct, as a global industry we have to be self-regulatory and this is a giant step to implement and tackle the abhorrent amount of sexual harassment that happens in our workplaces and dance floors.”
AFEM is an organization that includes companies from across the electronic music industry. The group sponsors a confidential sexual harassment hotline through Health Assured, which is available at 0800 030 5182 inside the UK or +44 800 030 5182 outside the country.
