BSides Bern is dedicated to providing a harassment-free, constructive, inclusive and pleasant atmosphere for everyone. We encourage all participants to make each other feel welcome and included in activities throughout the conference. We do not tolerate harassment or discrimination of conference participants in any form. Conference participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the conference without a refund at the discretion of the conference organisers.
Harassment includes, but is not limited to:
- Verbal comments that reinforce social structures of domination related to:
- Gender
- Gender identity and expression
- Sexual orientation
- Disability
- Physical appearance
- Body size
- Race
- Age
- Religion
- Clothing
- Sexual images in public spaces
- Deliberate intimidation, stalking or following
- Harassing photography or recording
- Sustained disruption of talks or other events
- Inappropriate physical contact
- Unwelcome sexual attention
- Questioning appropriate use of facilities by queer or non-conforming individuals
- Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behaviours
Enforcement
Participants asked to stop any harassing behaviour are expected to comply immediately.
If a participant engages in harassing behaviour, event organisers retain the right to take any actions to keep the event a welcoming environment for all participants. This includes warning the offender or expulsion from the conference with no refund.
Event organisers may take action to redress anything designed to, or with the clear impact of, disrupting the event or making the environment hostile for any participants.
We expect participants to follow these rules at all event venues and event-related social activities. We think people should follow these rules outside event activities too!
Reporting
If someone makes you or anyone else feel unsafe or unwelcome, please report it as soon as possible. Harassment and other code of conduct violations reduce the value of our event for everyone. We want you to be happy at our event. People like you make our event a better place.
Contact a conference volunteer, identified by a volunteer shirt/lanyard, the volunteer will get one of the organisers to take your report. Or you can contact an organiser directly, identified by an organiser shirt/lanyard.
Email us at bern [at] bsides [dot] ch
When taking a personal report, our volunteers will ensure you are safe and cannot be overheard. They may involve other event volunteers or the conference organisers to ensure your report is managed properly. Once safe, we’ll ask you to tell us about what happened. This can be upsetting, but we’ll handle it as respectfully as possible, and you can bring someone to support you. You won’t be asked to confront anyone, and we won’t tell anyone who you are.