Statement on Addressing Harm

Our Harvard Can Do Better is a survivor centric, non-hierarchical group of survivors and allies working to dismantle rape culture at Harvard. We make no assumptions about who you are or why you want to be involved; we welcome everyone to work with us. We work from an intersectional lens, and are committed to addressing racism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism and other issues that impact survivors. 

As a survivor-centered organization, we respect survivors' autonomy in telling their own stories and deciding how they want to respond to violence, and what they need to heal from violence. We are committed to centering survivors in our advocacy and in our internal operations, and striving to be a safe space for survivors to organize against violence. As a non-hierarchical organization, we have no official leadership structure. No one in Our Harvard Can Do Better is in charge of anyone else. We strive to make decisions based on consensus, and voluntarily agree to do work. 

Our commitment to survivor centric values and non-hierarchy means that we all share a collective responsibility to address harm when it is caused by someone in our community. We understand that everyone is capable of causing harm, including survivors and those who advocate for gender justice. Moreover, we believe that all harm is worth addressing, regardless of the severity or intentionality. 

Organizers and non-organizers who have experienced harm from organizer(s) can choose how and when to address that harm. Harm can be reported in a number of ways. It can be (1) communicated directly to another organizer, who can communicate with the group on next steps; (2) brought up during a weekly meeting, in the group chat, or otherwise communicated with the entire group; or (3) reported via the anonymous form on the website (https://www.ourharvardcandobetter.org/), which will be monitored by a different organizer each month. 

After harm has been reported, the members of Our Harvard Can Do Better who are not involved in the instance of harm will conduct fact-finding as appropriate. While we always presume truthfulness of those who report harm, a shared understanding of how the harm occurred is necessary to work towards healing. Creating this shared understanding can include talking with the person who experienced harm, the person who caused it, and any witnesses, as well as reviewing any other information that may help clarify the instance of harm. This process should be collective (all group members not involved encouraged to participate) and transparent, with all interviews, written information, etc. being made available to the entire group as appropriate. However, the process will remain flexible and be tailored to the specific circumstances of the harm caused, with an emphasis on the agency of the survivor. 

After the fact-finding process, the group will review our values and goals to determine how they can best be applied to the accountability and healing process. We will recognize the agency of the survivor to decide if and how they want to be a part of a community accountability process. 

In our approach to community accountability, we will respect the healing and rehabilitation of everyone involved with special attention and gravity given to the survivors’ immediate needs. Accountability measures could include, but are not limited to: apology to those harmed, and to the group; engaging in work (readings, additional action) to prevent future harm and demonstrate growth; dialogue/mediation (likely working with an outside specialist to facilitate);  and stepping back from participation in the group, either for a discrete period of time or indefinitely.

We recognize that harm is caused by structures as well as individuals and we cannot separate the two in our process of addressing it. As part of an accountability process, Our Harvard Can Do Better will examine our own role in causing or enabling harm. Following an instance of harm, Our Harvard Can Do Better will have at least one meeting to review the harm and the accountability process in order to identify changes and improvements that can be made. The results of this meeting can include making changes to this document, creating new/updated practices, adopting new/updated values, and making reflections on the accountability process itself. 

Accountability is sustained through regular affirmation and practice of community values and practices that resist abuse and oppression and encourage safety and support. Resisting hierarchy and centering survivors ensures the organizational space itself does not contribute to power differentials, and fosters mutuality. Additionally, normalizing admission of harm, small and large-- admitting when it has happened in the past, and owning it as it occurs-- strengthens our accountability to one another. By frequently and earnestly wrestling with instances of harm, we can actively practice accountability, develop strategies for healing, and work towards a world without violence.