Project: Support for women who experience sexual harassment
Area 1. Human rights protection (including gender equality)
Close-up shot. We see Adam Bodnar’s face, and hear a voice from behind the camera: “Maria was at a party in a club and drinking alcohol. Unable to cope with a man who was groping her, she asked the security guards for support. They reacted with laughter and said that the drunk girl was asking herself to be treated this way”.
The voice falls silent. Now Mr. Bodnar begins to speak: “I have no doubt that it is the duty of every service provider to respond to manifestations of sexual harassment. Even if the task is carried out by an external, security company that is subcontracted. It also doesn’t matter if the woman is under the influence of alcohol, one must always react”.
And the second story: the supervisor invited Karolina to his office and made it clear: “If you don’t go on a romantic trip with me, you will lose your job”, we hear the voice-over. “Not all situations are as obvious as this story”, Marcin Prokop comments. “However, there is no doubt that any sexual blackmail, including the more covert ones, is harassment. Regardless of the form of employment, there are laws that prohibit this”.
And immediately afterwards, a board appears with a sign: If you have been confronted with this or a similar situation that may constitute sexual harassment or another form of gender discrimination, please seek free advice from a lawyer. Call 739 975 506.
Idea more important than budget
The #NieMamWątpliwości (#HaveNoDoubt) campaign was carried out as part of, but ‘outside’ the main budget of a project implemented by the Polish Society of Anti-Discrimination Law (Polskie Towarzystwo Prawa Antydyskryminacyjnego). 12 short videos were produced, in which well-known cultural, political or human rights activists commented on the situations presented to them. The stories were all true and concerned cases of sexual harassment or other forms of gender discrimination. The videos are still available online. They explain in simple terms what sexual harassment is. They also encourage people to use a helpline with legal assistance. The premiere videos appeared online for 12 consecutive weeks, every Tuesday from July to September 2022.
The mini-campaign has managed to involve a wide range of people, including Prof. Adam Bodnar, the former Ombudsman, Marin Prokop, a TVN (Polish TV channel) star, Anna Błaszczak-Banasiak, the Director of Amnesty International Poland, Agata Szczęśniak, the OKO.press journalist, Wiktoria Filus, an actress, Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus, a MP, Aga Zaryan, a jazz singer, or Magdalena Witkowska, the dean of the Regional Chamber of Counsellors at Law in Gdańsk.
The #NieMamWątpliwości campaign was not planned, so it also did not have its budget. And yet it was created and it was noticed. The total reach of the videos on YouTube and social media of the Polish Society of Anti-Discrimination Law alone was nearly 40 000 views. It was also recognised by the Responsible Business Forum at the 10th Anniversary Gala of the Diversity Charter in the DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) category in the non-business sector.
“We believe that the mini-campaign will raise public awareness of the phenomenon of sexual harassment and gender discrimination and make more people decide to use the helpline. We will also use the videos to promote our activities in the future,” the Project Promoters said.
The project’s website: http://www.ptpa.org.pl/projekty/wsparciedlakobiet/
The videos’ playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLROhaNsDyO9mgS5Zzv79j-t7a0JYv5tl
