Code of Conduct

Our pledge

OSSFE is dedicated to providing a harassment-free, welcoming and inclusive experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, nationality, age, religion, or level of experience.

We do not tolerate harassment of participants in any form. This code of conduct applies to all OSSFE spaces, including talks, workshops, social events, chat channels, and online platforms, both in person and virtual.

Expected behaviour

All participants, speakers, sponsors, organisers and volunteers are expected to:

• ▸Be considerate, respectful and collaborative.
• ▸Refrain from demeaning, discriminatory or harassing behaviour and speech.
• ▸Be mindful of your fellow participants and alert organisers if you notice a dangerous situation or someone in distress.
• ▸Respect the rules and policies of the venue and platforms we use.

Unacceptable behaviour

Harassment includes, but is not limited to:

• ▸Offensive comments related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, nationality, age or religion.
• ▸Deliberate intimidation, stalking or following.
• ▸Unwelcome sexual attention or advances, and sustained disruption of talks or other events.
• ▸Photography, audio or video recording of a person without their consent.
• ▸Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behaviour.

Reporting

If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact a member of the conference staff immediately, or email us at conduct@ossfe.org.

Conference staff can be identified by their badges and will be happy to help participants contact venue security or local law enforcement, provide escorts, or otherwise assist those experiencing harassment to feel safe for the duration of the event. Reports will be handled with discretion.

Consequences

Participants asked to stop any harassing behaviour are expected to comply immediately. If a participant engages in harassing behaviour, the organisers may take any action they deem appropriate, up to and including a warning or expulsion from the conference with no refund.

Attribution

This code of conduct is adapted from the Conference Code of Conduct (confcodeofconduct.com) and the Contributor Covenant, and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence.