Centre Manager Clara Doebler talks about how we plan to tackle the changes in legislation regarding the prevention of sexual discrimination in the workplace.
It’s NOT ok – Parthian’s anti-harassment campaign
On the 26th October, a new government law around sexual harassment came into force. According to this law, businesses now have the duty to establish preventative measures to minimise the likelihood of sexual harassment happening rather than just investigating and penalising once an allegation has been made. Along with revising and adjusting our own internal procedures, we have taken this as a welcome chance to dig a bit deeper into the matter.
A survey about sexual harassment in climbing conducted by SafeOutside in 2018 showed that out of 5311 participants 47% of women and 16% of men have experienced a form of sexual harassment during climbing activities. That is almost every second woman and 1 out of 6 men. These numbers are concerning and yet they actually match numbers in other sports and in society as a whole pretty well. Climbing is not in any way better or worse when it comes to sexual harassment. It just mirrors the environment and society we live in. Not really a massively consoling thought if you ask me…
What is sexual harassment? Sexual harassment can be defined as unwanted conduct of a sexual nature which has the purpose or effect of either violating dignity, or creating an
intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment. Likewise, if someone is treated less favourably because they submitted to, or rejected that unwanted conduct, this also counts as sexual harassment. This subject is closely related and intertwined with topics such as harassment, abuse, sexism, discrimination, racism etc. To look at all these and their interrelations would go beyond the scope of this little blog but are still important to mention.
One of the things that makes climbing an amazing sport is its accessibility. At the bottom of the wall, we are all equal. No matter your age, gender, body type, race, background, if you are prepared to push your comfort zone and try hard, you can climb. You only ever compete against yourself last week, yesterday, 5 minutes ago. It’s progress over perfection. Every hold or move you get further is a win. The other central part of the sport is community. Most sports separate from quite an early stage into age groups, performance levels, gendered groups, etc. Climbing is one of the rare sports were seeing a 9-year-old, a 39-year-old and a 64-year-old having a session together is not a rare sight. Working out moves together, celebrating each other’s wins and keeping each other safe on the wall are integral to what it means to climb.
Especially because of all this, safety and comfort not just on the wall but within our community should be one of our main priorities. Everyone should feel safe and comfortable enough to fully be able to enjoy their climbing session and focus on their own goals. I myself have been climbing and working at Parthian Climbing Reading for over 6 years now. Our community is part of my family, the centre a home away from home. It has helped me through rough times and celebrated the good times with me. It is always there when I need it, whether for a belay on the proj or for a cup of tea and a hug. Everyone who climbs at Reading can feel that his place offers something beyond just another place to do sports.
Which is why this marks the beginning of our It’s NOT ok campaign to say that we here at Parthian stand against any form of harassment or abuse and for a safe and inclusive environment for everyone to protect and honour our amazing community.
Over the next few weeks, we want to draw attention and encourage reflection around the topic of sexual harassment and how we engage with each other. We are hoping to offer tools that we have found helpful ourselves and support for difficult situations. We are hoping that you will join us in the pledge to support and protect each other and not tolerate any discriminating, degrading, aggressive or violent behaviour!
If you’re effected by any of the issues raised in this blog, then check out this page of resources from MIND
