The CBA National Women Lawyers Forum, SOGIC and the Equality Committee undertook the #WriteYourWrong awareness campaign in the wake of news reports highlighting that employers in some of the most high profile workplaces still struggle to recognize and address sexual harassment and assault. Canada’s Parliament, the CBC and Dalhousie University – all institutions from which we expect a high degree of ethical standards – have each dealt with allegations of serious sexual misconduct in the recent past and have all struggled to deal with the situation when it came to light. Through law society ombudsperson’s reports we know that that sexual harassment is a frequent complaint in the legal profession as well.
The campaign
There are two steps to the #WriteYourWrong campaign. In the first step, we ask for your stories. This enables us to bring light to the issue of sexual harassment in the workplace and helps inform the work in the second step, of creating a toolkit for law firms and other organizations to help them recognize and address sexual harassment in the workplace.
Why are we asking for your stories?
In the first step, we are asking individuals to tell us their stories anonymously. Many lawyers, male and female, experience sexual harassment and sexual assault in the workplace but are reluctant to report it for fear of reprisals or of being labelled. These lawyers feel isolated and helpless and many leave their workplaces or the legal profession altogether. As a result, harassment and assaults usually go unreported and this silence allows it to continue. The more stories are shared, the more visible the problem becomes.
How will we protect your privacy?
The online survey does not request or record names, location or any other personally identifiable information. We cannot trace the submission. All stories will be vetted by our CBA National Women Lawyers Forum staff liaison, Crystal Lam. If a story contains information which might identify the individual or the institution they work for, she will ensure that that information is removed or edited before it is shared with the Committee working on the project. Similarly, any regular mail addressed to the #WriteYourWrong campaign will be directed to Ms. Lam and she will take steps to ensure any necessary editing to preserve anonymity.
Tell us your story
Questions?
Please contact Crystal Lam with your questions.