General Conduct
Global Voices expects all members of our community to behave ethically and honestly and to abide by the principles described below. Behavior that violates these principles will not be tolerated, and community members who do so may be removed from the community.
Community Ethics
This section sets out principles for behavior to guide us in a variety of contexts and situations.
Global Voices is a large, diverse, community that spans many countries, languages, cultures, and behavioral norms.
Global Voices seeks to foster a community environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity. Everyone has the right to work in an atmosphere that fosters equal opportunity, honesty and trust, and prohibits discriminatory practices, including harassment. We strive for a community in which relationships are free from bias, prejudice and harassment.
It is the policy of Global Voices to ensure equal opportunity without discrimination or harassment based on race, ethnicity, color, religion, gender or gender identity, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status or any other protected characteristic.
Our staff, board, and community members contribute to Global Voices in various ways, as well as represent Global Voices in external forums, conferences, public events, academic settings, and media. Whether we are a volunteer or paid staff, our behavior in all those contexts is expected to reflect the mission of Global Voices, the standards for behavior outlined in this policy, and the collective values of our community: mutual respect, honesty, integrity, openness, willingness to listen, acceptance of diverse viewpoints, and awareness of differing cultural norms.
Global Voices community members operate in many different legal and regulatory environments around the world; we seek to familiarize ourselves with local laws and respect local norms as we work and travel in different contexts.
As local norms vary throughout the world, behavior that is acceptable in one context may be offensive or even illegal in another. We make an effort to be aware of issues such as personal space, gender contact, hand gestures, jokes and direct speech, norms around money, and alcohol consumption.
Harassment
While there are different norms and laws for harassment around the world, Global Voices seeks to foster an environment in which all individuals from all countries will be protected from discrimination or harassment.
Global Voices policy prohibits sexual harassment and harassment because of race, color, religion, gender, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status or any other protected characteristic. Violations should be reported to the Managing Director or the Executive Director or, alternatively, to community representatives to the Board.
In the event of complaints, the privacy of the individuals concerned is paramount, and confidentiality will be respected—only those with a need to know based on professional concerns will be informed.
For the purposes of this policy, sexual harassment is defined as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when: (i) submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual’s employment; (ii) submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting such individual; or (iii) such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive working environment.
In the event of an instance of harassment, there will be no retaliation for complaints. GV will seek to provide prompt investigation of complaints. GV also welcomes questions, concerns, and requests for training of staff.
