4 CinÉireann / December 2017
STORYBOARD
Industry news
In response to the revelations of harassment in Irish theatre, the #MeToo and #IrishWeinstein hashtags, Amplify Women, an umbrella group that represents, works with or carries out research about women working in the cultural and media industries, has produced a toolkit for dealing with harassment and bullying in the workplace. The guide details what to do if experiencing harassment. It provides advice on making a complaint at work, or a criminal complaint, and includes useful information on who to contact and links to further information.
The toolkit, it is hoped, will offer both freelance workers and employees of any gender access to a suite of key resources, reporting mechanisms and general advice on how to deal with harassment in the workplace.
"The recent and ongoing allegations regarding harassment in a whole range of sectors points to a real issue for all types of workers - both contract and permanent. We felt that it was hugely important to get as much clear information as possible together, so people know how to respond to such issues if they arise. We hope that it makes people feel empowered to report issues, and secure to know that supports and resources are available to them."
Sarah Kieran, Co-Chair of Women in Film and Television, Ireland
While organisational culture is at the core of creating a supportive working environment for all, where bullying and harassment happens in a workplace, staff do need to know their rights, and employers need to respect them.
The Amplify Women Harassment Toolkit can be accessed here.
Amplify Women is an umbrella group of organisations who represent, or carry out research about women working in the cultural and media industries. The organisations distributing and endorsing this initiative are: Women in Film & Television, Irish Equity, Women in Animation, Broadly Speaking, Members of #WakingTheFeminists, Writers’ Guild of Ireland, Screen Producers Ireland, Screen Directors Guild of Ireland, Women on Air.