“Hands off!” – Sexual assault in the performing arts
SzeneSchweiz takes action as a consequence of an alarming survey
Measures to protect artists – on, in front of and behind the stage and the camera.
- Yasmin is suddenly asked to bare her breasts during the casting, although that would not be necessary for the commercial shoot. The producer present wants it that way.
- Andri no longer likes to go to dance training because his choreographer corrects his posture unnecessarily and for too long touching him with his hands
- Natasha receives an offer to play a role if she goes out with the funder. And “going out” means only one thing.
- Thomas deletes a dick pic from his director for the umpteenth time.
- Tamara changes in the toilet because the boss is visiting the cloakroom again. Whenever she needs to change. And although he has nothing to do there.
These anonymized cases show the picture that emerged in the survey on sexual harassment in the performing arts. While in the USA the #MeToo wave caused sustainable changes in the minds and – even more – regarding the protection of the artists, things still look bad in many places in Switzerland. 79 percent of the survey participants had experienced sexual assault in the past 24 months, across all age groups and genders. A total of 577 incidents were mentioned, 400 of them in women and 177 in men.
The detailed evaluation of the survey looks like this: (in German only)
Anonymous reporting platform
SzeneSchweiz has planned various measures to counter the abuses.
One of the most important tools is an anonymous reporting platform that enables those affected to report incidents, institutions, people and productions. SzeneSchweiz will then clarify these allegations.
Click here to get to the anonymous reporting platform.
Code of Conduct – Policies for inappropriate behaviour, bullying and sexual harassment in the workplace
