Note that the content hosted on this page may be triggering for some readers.
According to Clancy et al., 2014, 64% of field participants reported gender-based harassment in the field, with 22% reporting physical harassment or assault. Women, BIPOC, LGBTQIA, and disabled people are more likely to be victims of SHSV (Berdahl and Moore, 2006; Medeiros, 2021).
Consequences and responses look different in the field than in an office, so it is vital to prepare appropriately and keep your team safe! For in depth training on this topic, see FieldFutures.
Definitions:
gender-based harassment: harassment related to gender identity or sexual orientation which is not normally related to sex or sexual desire
sexual harassment: unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature in the workplace or learning environment
sexual assault: any sexual contact or behavior that occurs without explicit consent of the victim, including those who cannot consent (RAINN)
Note that definitions differ regionally and legally depending on location.
FieldFutures recommends that you stick to the 4 Ps of Prevention
Proper Norms and Expectations
Utilize community agreements and code of conducts that cover
what are the shared values brought here?
what do we want or need for a safe and productive work environment?
how should we hold each other accountable when there is conflict?
Revisit such agreements often and keep a copy visible and accessible at all times
Participating in Trainings
Trainings should address the unique needs of your field team but may include bystander intervention, mental health first air, queer and trans field safety, and ICE response
Prioritize in person trainings for the entire team
Protocols for Prevention and Reporting
Keep reporting pathways in your FSP and have the numbers and options accessible to everyone at all times
Before going into the field, discuss privacy, hygiene, bathroom, and sleeping protocols
Prioritize access to private spaces for changing and all-gender bathrooms
Ensure you have a plan if people need to switch sleeping quarters or work partners due to harassment
Plan Ahead for Emergencies
Identify which employees are responsible and/or mandated reporters
Designate staff who will assist in reporting in case of an incident
Have an emergency evacuation plan in case of an incident that requires a work stoppage
Reporting to UC Berkeley (anonymous and non-anonymous reporting options)
To report a violation of campus policy involving sexual violence, sexual harassment, dating or domestic violence, stalking, and/or invasion of privacy (SVSH), contact the UC Berkeley Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination (OPHD)
Email: ask_ophd@berkeley.edu
Phone: 510-643-7985
*New* You may also make a report online to OPHD through their reporting webform
Reporting to Law Enforcement (non-anonymous reporting)
To report a crime involving sexual violence, dating or domestic violence, stalking, and/or invasion of privacy (SVSH) that occurred on University property, contact the University of California Police Department (UCPD)
1 Sproul Hall
24/7 emergency line & TTY: 510-642-3333
24/7 non-emergency line: 510-642-6760
To report a crime involving SVSH that occurred somewhere else besides University property, contact the law enforcement agency with jurisdiction at that location. Here are a few nearby police departments:
Sexual Assault: 510-637-0298
Path to CARE and related confidential resources without formal reporting
PATH to Care Advocacy Appointments
Available to UC Berkeley students, staff, and faculty impacted by SVSH.
Call: (510) 642-1988
Email: ptcadvocates@berkeley.edu
Urgent Same-Day Counseling for Students in Crisis
UHS Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) offers same-day support.
Call: (510) 642-9494 (Monday through Friday from 8am–5pm)
After Hours Support Line: (855) 817-5667
Social Services in University Health Services (UHS): Provides free individual, confidential group counseling and consultation for students. Phone: 510-642-6074. For after-hours mental health consultation or crisis resource referrals, please call 855-817-5667.
Be Well at Work/Employee Assistance: Free, confidential problem assessment and referral for UC Berkeley faculty, staff, visiting scholars, and postdocs. for UC Berkeley staff, faculty, visiting scholars, and postdoctoral appointees. Phone: 510-643-7754.
The Ombuds Office for Students and Postdoctoral Appointees: A neutral and confidential resource for navigating informal and formal options.
Phone: 510-642-5754.
Staff Ombuds Office: Provides confidential impartial and informal conflict resolution and problem-solving services for all staff, non-senate academics, and faculty who perform management functions.
Faculty Ombuds: The Faculty Ombuds role is a confidential, informal, impartial resource for faculty experiencing work-related problems and conflicts. Phone: 510-642-8788.
Seek additional confidential resources in the community
Sexual Assault Response and Recovery Team (SARRT) in Alameda County: Hospital-based trauma-informed care for survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, and human trafficking. 24/7 Hotline: 510-534-9290.
Family Violence Law Center (FVLC) in Alameda County: Support and legal assistance for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. 24/7 Crisis Line: 800-947-8301.
RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800.656.HOPE, online chat, text HOPE to 64673
The National Domestic Violence Hotline: Text "START" to 88788 or chat online
Path to CARE Guide to Preventing Sexual Violence and Harassment in Field Placements: This guide offers guidance for all research and professional activities conducted outside the UC Berkeley campus, including, but not limited to field courses and placements, clinical settings, and internships. This field guide is intended to expand illness and injury prevention in field-placements to include prevention of sexual harassment and violence, stalking, relationship violence, and retaliation protection against retaliation for reporting.
FieldFutures Training Guide: This is intended to be used alongside the workshop, but it has resources and recommendations that are very helpful!
Fieldwork Safety and Inclusion Checklist and Resources: This chart tells you ways in which you can be more inclusive in field safety and directly prepare against SHSV. It also denotes who is responsible for what checklist item and gives examples.
SHSV Perspectives and Reports
Sexual harassment in Academia: A Matter of Power (Imbalance)
Sexual Harassment, Workplace Authority, and the Paradox of Power
Gender-based violence: Relevance for fisheries practitioners
What People Misunderstand About Rape
An Allegation of Sexual Assault Sends Shock Waves Through the Birding World
"Trapped": Women Working as Fishery Observers Allege Sex Harassment, Assault at Sea
The Park Service buried its own study on harassment
Sexual harassment and the toll it takes
When Scientists are Sexually Harassed in the Field
Sexism in academia is bad for science and a waste of public funding
Workplace Harassment: Double Jeopardy for Minority Women
The Context and Consequences of Sexual Harassment in Southeastern Archaeology
A meta-analysis of the antecedents and consequences of workplace sexual harassment
Sexual Harassment: Identifying Risk Factors
Sexual Harassment in Social Work Field Placements: Prevalance and Characteristics
Survey of Academic Field Experiences (SAFE): Trainees Report Harassment and Assault
SHSV Prevention and Training
Congress Takes on Sexual Harassment in the Sciences
Confronting Sexual Harassment in Science
Testing the effectiveness of interactive training on sexual harassment and assault in field science
Harassed? Intimidated? Guidebook offers help to scientists under attack
Sexual harassment training effectiveness: An interdisciplinary review and call for research
Sexual assault education programs: a meta-analytic examination of their effectiveness
"I Have the Right to Defend Myself": The Underlying Curriculum of Empowerment Self-Defense Training
Addressing gender-based violence and harassment in health and safety framework
Codes of conduct aim to curb harassment at field sites
Beyond reporting: proactive strategies for safer scientific fieldwork
Ride-share Sexual Assault Resources
Field Work Risk Assessment Tool Guidelines (FIELD R.A.T.)
Guidelines for Safe and Equitable Fieldwork
Developing Community Agreements
Creating a Community of Respect (Title IX Toolkit)
Inclusivity and Identity-Based Risks
Carrying the Moral Burden of Safe Fieldwork
Diversity in STEM: What It Is and Why It Matters
Fieldwork and LGBTQ+ Identities: Queering the Outdoors
Anti-racist interventions to transform ecology, evolution and conservation biology departments
BIPOC voices in ocean sciences: A qualitative exploration of factors impacting career retention
Oceanography’s Diversity Deficit: Identifying and Addressing Challenges for Marginalized Groups
Identifying the barriers to inclusion in field-based environmental sciences research
Persistent gender bias in marine science and conservation calls for action to achieve equality
Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering (2017)
The climate for women in academic science: the good, the bad, and the changeable
Gender Diversity in STEM Disciplines: A Multiple Factor Problem
Women and Science Careers: Leaky Pipeline or Gender Filter?
Incivility at Academic Conferences: Gender Differences and the Mediating Role of Climate
Reimagining the Pipeline: Advancing STEM Diversity, Persistence, and Success
Proceedings of Gender and Sexuality at Work
Effective Strategies to Increase Diversity in STEM Fields: A Review of the Research Literature
Creating Healthy Working Cultures in Marine Science Education
Feeling Relieved: Creating a Positive Bathroom Field Culture in the Geosciences
A Field Guide to Living in the Field: Milk, guilt, and turtles
Thank you to FieldFutures for providing training and resources on SHSV Prevention in the field. If you would like to learn more, please explore their website.