Speaking out

Storytelling as a force for change

Location: Ríma B

Chair: Brynhildur Heiðar- og Ómarsdóttir

Speakers: Rebecca Bunce, Sóley Tómasdóttir, Amanda Bergström and Annadís Greta Rúdólfsdóttir / Gyða Margrét Pétursdóttir

The feminist mantra of the personal as political has been brought home by the #MeToo movement. Harassment and abuse have moved from being taboo subjects to taking their place in public discussions. The politics of ‘speaking out’ and ‘breaking the silence’ rely on the transformative potential of personal narratives. How do movements rely on personal testimonies to push for structural changes? What are the individual costs and benefits of sharing such stories and what is the impact on movements and activist?

Who cares about the carers? #MeToo and the care sector

Location: Ríma A

Chair: Alma Dagbjört Möller

Speakers: Annika Engström, Ólöf Sara Árnadóttir, Guðbjörg Pálsdóttir and Edda Björk Þórðardóttir

Rates of harassment are higher in the care sector than in many other public sectors, to the extent that some care workers experience sexual harassment as an ingrained part of the job. The power dynamics frequently used to analyse sexual harassment may be different within the care sector, where perpetrators can be co-workers and patients / clients alike. Black, minority, and ethnic women may face a combination of class, ethnicity, race, and gender prejudices. What is the impact of sexual harassment within the care sector and what differentiates it from other sectors? What practical steps can be taken within the care sector to incorporate and bolster lessons from #MeToo?

Precarious work and #MeToo

Location: Silfurberg B

Chair: Viðar Þorsteinsson

Speakers: June Barrett, Drífa Snædal, Mónica Ramírez

Workplace protection against sexual harassment is generally linked to other employee rights and thus is not extended to precarious workers and freelance workers. Yet precarious jobs are on the rise and are often the only options for migrant workers and young people. Freelance work is increasingly replacing employment contracts in sectors such as the arts, culture and entertainment, adding the financial insecurity to the many barriers women who want to speak out about harassment and abuse already encounter. Can employment protection against sexual harassment be extended to precarious workers and freelance workers? What should businesses do to tackle harassment and discrimination in the supply chain?

Experiences of silence and disbelief: disabled women and #MeToo

Location: Silfurberg A

Chair: Inga Björk Margrétar Bjarnadóttir

Speakers: Freyja Haraldsdóttir, Denise Cresso-Nydén, Anna Sigrún Ingimarsdóttir and Christine Bylund

Women with disabilities experience disproportionate levels of discrimination and violence. Yet the bodily autonomy of women with disabilities remains on the periphery of the #MeToo movement. The absence of disabled bodies and minds from debates about sexuality and the myth of disabled women as being undesirable and/or asexual or hypersexualised have led to a dismissal, or incomprehension, of their stories of abuse. How can #MeToo and related social movements provide the space to develop the security, access and trust needed to ensure that disabled women’s realities are included and valued in the quest for social change? How can the limits of the #MeToo movement be extended so that it includes the voices of people with disabilities in a meaningful and effective way?

The politics of naming

Location: Silfurberg A

Chair: Ingibjörg Þórðardóttir

Speakers: Marai Larasi, Heiða Björg Hilmisdóttir and Giti Chandra

From the “Shitty Media Men” list to Harvey Weinstein, women naming their attackers or harassers have been accused of lying, being out for revenge, or just wanting their 15 minutes of fame. While this debate is not confined to the #MeToo movement, it has propelled the controversy over the act of naming. What are the implications, ethics, and politics of naming? Does it matter who is being named and by whom, e.g. in relation to status, race, class and gender? Is naming a way to point to something reminiscent of justice in a system that provides none and, as such, becomes a political contribution to the debate over the justice system? Or does it only put individual women at risk of being sued for defamation by their offenders?

Responding to #MeToo

Sexual harassment at work: from recognition to real action

Location: Silfurberg B

Chair: Sonja Ýr Þorbergsdóttir

Speakers: : Lina Andersson, Jóhann Friðrik Friðriksson, Hannah Helseth, Marie Clarke Walker and Malin Gustavsson

From National Action Plans and Policy Guidelines to Workplace Complaints Committees and the judiciary, sexual harassment in the workplace is governed by different sets of rules in different contexts. #MeToo has revealed how seemingly neutral institutional processes and practices are in fact embedded in hidden norms and values, privileging certain groups over others. The question remains of how to move from recognising the existence of the problem to effectively addressing it and changing the conditions under which it continues to exist.

Tackling institutional sexism

Location: Ríma B

Chair: Sóley Tómasdóttir

Speakers: Katja Holm, Caroline Hunt-Matthes, Anna Soffía Víkingsdóttir, Þórey Vilhjálmsdóttir and Håvard B. Øvregård

Putting an end to sexual harassment requires more than political will. Decisions must be anchored in action, and harassment needs to be prevented and combatted as an every-day measure. This begs the question of practical measures to confront collective practices. From sports to workplaces, politics to arts, changing mindsets and attitudes in large group settings or institutions has proven to be difficult. How can groups change? Is there a one-size-fits-all solution to institutional sexism? If not, how can practical measures be adapted to various audiences?

Perpetrator accountability

Location: Kaldalón

Chair: Andrés Proppé Ragnarsson

Speakers: Linda Åhäll, Jón Ingvar Kjaran, Michael Kehler and Gary Barker

As more perpetrators of sexual harassment and abuse are confronted via formal or informal methods, the question of perpetrator accountability becomes ever more crucial. Yet, offenders taking responsibility remains a rare occurrence in relation to sexual harassment and abuse, which is a challenge to any attempts to build new justice processes, such as restorative justice. How can perpetrators take responsibility for their own actions and what is the societal impact of taking such responsibility? How can men support other men to address violent behaviour and what is the role of society? Is masculinity the problem or a part of the solution in a post-#MeToo era?

War on women: the backlash against #MeToo

Location: Silfurberg A

Chair: Silja Bára Ómarsdóttir

Speakers: Cynthia Enloe, Liz Kelly and Christian Mogensen

Is each step towards equal rights met by a backlash? Progressive policies on gender equality are being tested and hampered by a hostile political climate, which is characterised by a return to aggressive nationalism and intolerance. But what is the relationship between the #MeToo movement and the rise of the radical right? How are recent attacks on women’s reproductive rights linked to #MeToo and what does it tell us about sexual politics today? Is there a backlash to #MeToo and if so, how is it manifested?

The meaning of justice

Location: Ríma A

Chair: Hannah Peaker

Speakers: Hildur Fjóla Antonsdóttir, Paula Donovan, Clare McGlynn, Claudie Ashonie Wilson and Paula Donovan

One of the main features of the #MeToo movement is the demand for justice. However, most of the incidents of harassment and assault emerging from the #MeToo movement have never been brought before traditional justice systems. The #MeToo movement has extended the idea of justice beyond reparation or punishment. What is the meaning of justice for survivors of sexual violence and harassment? What kind of justice is being called for? How is justice to be delivered and by whom?

Sexism and political representation: #MeToo and women in politics

Location: Stemma

Chair: Caterina Bolognese

Speakers: Martin Chungong, Steingrímur J. Sigfússon, Jeanne Ponte, Dovilė Šakalienė and Vala Pálsdóttir

A century after the campaign for women’s suffrage, women are still underrepresented in most parliaments and political institutions across the world. #MeToo has shed a light on the impact of sexism, harassment and violence on women’s political representation. To what extent are parliaments as work environments impacted by sexist discourses, harassment, and violence, and how are the women working in these environments affected? How can sexist and violent behaviour be prevented and combatted within political workplaces and political parties? What are the democratic implications of the electorate’s sexism and how can it be challenged?

Beyond symbolic gestures. How to foster systematic change?

#MeToo, gender relations and the meaning of consent

Location: Silfurberg B

Chair: Hildur Fjóla Antonsdóttir

Speakers: Fiona Vera-Gray, Emma Holten and Elísabet Ýr Atladóttir

#MeToo brought to the forefront experiences that women had generally learned to dismiss and disregard. Sexist behaviour (by men) that might sit outside of legal definitions of violence or harassment is consequently being disrupted. How has #MeToo changed understandings of sexual violence and sexual consent? What does this mean for the future of gender relations in a post #MeToo era?

Practical solutions / best practices

Location: Ríma

Chair: Kira Appel

Speakers: Maria Normann, Puran Sen, Alán Ali and Caterina Bolognese

#MeToo has brought the lived experiences of women to the forefront of private and public discussions. Workplaces and educational institutions have had to review their complaint mechanisms and political parties and non-profit organisations have been subjected to intense scrutiny. Moving forward, what blueprints and practical solutions can be put in place? Are there any best practises in preventing and addressing sexual harassment at work or in education? And what about untraditional workplaces, such as courts and political institutions?

A public health approach to sexual harassment?

Location: Kaldalón

Chair: Arna Hauksdóttir

Speakers: Katja Gillander Gådin, Katriina Bildjuschkin, Ulla Albért and Ingibjörg Jónsdóttir

Evidence suggests that sexual harassment is a public health issue with implications for both physical and mental health and well-being. Sexual harassment and violence can have dire psychological consequences, including depression, anxiety and PTSD, which are all risk factors for a range of chronic illnesses. How can initiatives to prevent sexual harassment potentially impact health outcomes? What practical steps can be taken to incorporate and bolster lessons from #MeToo in different sectors in order to prevent harmful consequences to public health?

Equality to education? Higher education and sexual harassment

Location: Ríma B

Chair: Thomas Brorsen Smidt

Speakers: Fredrik Bondestam, Vinita Chandra and Fríða Björk Ingvarsdóttir

The university is an institution devoted to knowledge production for social good. At the same time there is a danger of assuming institutions of higher education are idyllic places free from the troubles of the outside world. To what extent does higher education reproduce or resist unequal practices that allow for and even encourage relationships of power and abuse? Does higher education face special challenges in relation to sexual harassment? What can be done to address these and what is the role of academia in the project of challenging intersectional injustices?

Social media and social movements

Location: Silfurberg A

Chair: María Rún Bjarnadóttir

Speakers:  Bryndís Björk Ásgeirsdóttir / Rannveig S. Sigurvinsdóttir, Catherine Mayer, Sumaya Jirde Ali, Ingibjörg Þórðardóttir and Kadi Viik

While social media is under fire for many reasons, it has also provided a platform for change and for new social movements, including #MeToo. But has the movement successfully moved beyond social media and those who have access to it? Is social media a wellspring of resistance or an arena for making noise without doing much? Does it strengthen #MeToo and other struggles or divide them? And what is the impact of online hate speech and sexism, which voices survive and who is left out?

Nordic cooperation on Sexual Harassment: Experiences from the Nordic Gender Equality Fund

Location: Stemma

Chair: Jenny Pentler & Malin Svensson

Speakers: Frida Warg, Amalie Georg Smistrup, Åsta Lovise Einstabland, Helene Jesnes and Bjarke Oxlund

The Nordic Gender Equality Fund supports cooperation within the Nordic-Baltic region on projects relating to gender equality. Several Nordic cooperation projects have advanced practical collaboration between authorities, non-governmental organisations and employer and employee organisations on the issue of sexual harassment. The projects include youth-driven prevention of sexual harassment and violence, as well as research-based knowledge as a tool against sexual harassment and bullying among children and youth. Other projects focus on sexual harassment in the workplace within the health sector and employer-driven prevention of sexual harassment in the hotel and restaurant sector. This workshop will offer an insight into some of the Nordic cooperation projects with a discussion of the benefits and challenges of Nordic cooperation on sexual harassment and how it can contribute to change.