The International Conference on Linguistic Communication is dedicated to providing a harassment-free conference experience for everyone, regardless of gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age, religion, or nationality. We do not tolerate harassment of conference participants in any form. Conference participants violating these rules may be expelled from the conference at the discretion of the conference organisers.
Harassment includes, but is not limited to:
- Comments that reinforce social structures of domination related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age, religion, nationality
- Sexual images in public spaces
- Deliberate intimidation or stalking
- Harassing photography or recording
- Sustained disruption of talks or other events
- Inappropriate physical contact or unwelcome sexual attention
- Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behaviour
Enforcement
Participants asked to stop any harassing behaviour are expected to comply immediately. If a participant engages in harassing behaviour, event organisers retain the right to take any necessary actions to keep LingComm a welcoming environment for all participants. This includes warning the offender or expulsion from the event. Organisers may take action to redress anything designed to, or with the clear impact of, disrupting the event or making the environment hostile for any participants. We expect participants to follow these rules throughout LingComm, including event-related social activities and event-related social media.
Bystander Awareness
Harassment is not an isolated issue: it reflects community conditions and requires community responses. Bystanders are those who observe or are subsequently informed of instances of harassment. Individuals react differently when witnessing or learning about such behaviors. It is important that LingComm participants know how to recognize harassment and consider safe, responsible, and effective ways to respond.
Bystanders should help ensure safety and engage in the most appropriate course of action including, but not limited to creating a distraction or interjecting yourself into the conversation if you feel it is safe to do so. You can also ask the individual if they are okay, and offer them support in reporting the incident (including acting as a witness), but respect their choice to report the incident or not while encouraging them to seek appropriate support.
Reporting
If someone makes you or anyone else feel unsafe or unwelcome, we welcome hearing from you, to the extent that you feel comfortable reporting it. The sooner we hear about any problems, the sooner we’re able to take appropriate action in consultation with you.
You can make a report by emailing conference organisers at linguistics.communication@gmail.com, or using the direct chat function in Gather with one of the conference organisers.
Harassment and other code of conduct violations reduce the value of our event for everyone. People like you make our community a better place, and we want you to thrive here. If you want to make a report you can do so either personally or anonymously (using a non-identifiable email address).
What happens if I make a report?
We can’t follow up an anonymous report with you directly, but we will investigate it to the fullest extent possible and take all feasible actions to prevent a recurrence. When taking a personal report, the organising committee will adhere to the strictest confidence in handling the report. They may involve other event staff to the extent that this is required to ensure your report is managed properly. Once safe, we’ll ask you to tell us about what happened. This can be upsetting, but we’ll handle it as respectfully as possible, and you can bring someone to support you. You will never be asked to confront anyone and we won’t tell anyone who you are.
Acknowledgment of Contribution: This code of conduct draws on language from the code of conduct of the EVOLANG conference. Text on bystander awareness is drawn from the American Anthropological Association (AAA) Policy on Sexual Harassment & Sexual Assault.
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