About EJN

EJN is committed to providing a safe, relaxed and friendly environment for all the individuals involved in the activities and in the life of the network. EJN asks its members, and all the participants of its events, to be respectful of each other, aware of the cultural differences that are present in such an international context and to be supportive of and kind to each other in order to maintain this atmosphere which is at the core of the network’s values. If any individual witnesses behaviour they deem to contravene the standards set out in this Code of Conduct, even if they are not the direct victim of it, they are encouraged to raise it via the process outlined in the protocol below. A truly safe environment can be achieved only when everybody is actively contributing to it. The following Code of Conduct is based on the underlying philosophy that EJN respects every individual’s right to dignity, privacy, integrity and safety as well as their right to an equal and fair treatment in their professional environment.

This policy applies to all the individuals participating in activities directly organised by EJN, or in collaboration with members and partners, both in presence and online, including phone communication and digital exchanges, and is enforced where EJN’s activities are implemented or discussed, including conferences, seminars, meetings, social events and EJN’s communication channels.

Examples of unacceptable behaviours covered by this policy include:

- Discriminatory behaviours or remarks, based on age, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, political beliefs, citizenship, marital status, family status, disability or any other possible ground;

- Sexual harassment, in any form, including, but not limited to, unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favours, unwanted physical contact, assault, inquiries or comments about an individual’s sex life;

- Physical and verbal violence, in all its forms;

- Insulting, intimidating or otherwise offensive behaviours, including, but not limited to, bullying and cyberbullying, inappropriate or unwelcome focus or comments on a person’s physical characteristics or appearance, isolation and shunning, gossiping, spreading of rumours and name-calling;

- Any other action that an individual perceives as inappropriate or that creates an uncomfortable feeling in an individual.

EJN is committed to an efficient and safe process for reporting infractions, including:

- The right of individuals to report incidents, either that they experienced directly or that they witnessed, without fear of negative consequences or retribution, including protection from retaliatory actions;

- The timely reporting of all incidents, without a set statute of limitations. In the case of violence, individuals should call police and/or emergency services immediately;

- The right of a victim to confront their harasser (where comfortable) without the fear of retribution, and of the victim to challenge the harasser on their behaviour (where comfortable) at the time of the incident or at a later stage, with or without the presence of a mediator (the confidentiality contact);

- A clear line of reporting incidents to a designated and trained official (confidentiality contact) established and made known to all network members and individuals participating in events. The confidentiality contact can be an internal person from the network or an external professional, will guarantee discretion to the process, act as a mediator between the parties, if required;

- Incidents can be reported, if the victim allows it, by the confidentiality contact to a member of the EJN Human Resources Committee (HRC) or EJN Staff, who will then convene the full HRC and Staff in the shortest time possible. Possible disciplinary measures will be discussed and presented to the EJN Board of Directors for a final decision. Should the incident involve a member of the Board, HRC or Staff, or if any other conflict of interest is present, those individual(s) involved will not be part of this discussion or decision;

- Depending on the gravity of the incidents, or on their repetitive nature, disciplinary action can include formal warnings, and/or the immediate exclusion of an individual from an event, and/or the prevention of participation of an individual to future activities, and/or the prevention of an individual from using the EJN’s or the event’s communication tools;

- If the individual is a representative of a EJN member organisation, and depending on the gravity of the incident, the EJN Board may also ask the member organisation to change the EJN representative from this organisation, and/or to temporary exclude the organisation from the membership, until the General Assembly is asked to vote for its exclusion, according to the EJN bylaws (article 7.4- Termination of Membership).