Since February 12, 2021, and subsequent Fridays, roundtables are being held to review the Harassment Protocol. The first topics to discuss were the intimacy, the consent, and the complaint, and its second installment was dedicated to the areas of competence of the protocol. On average, more than 55 people participated in the session, considering teachers, authorities, and ITAM community.
The Dialogue Tables respond to the ITAM President commitment to an institutional policy of zero tolerance and no concealment of those who have committed sexual harassment, and to seek that the rights of the parties are guaranteed in the internal procedures followed in this matter.
These meetings are organized in response to the requests raised by active students in feminists’ organizations: Cuarta Ola, Resiliencia Combativa, Salitam, Abogadas ITAM, He For She, Diversidad Sexogenérica ITAM, Colectiva Raíz y Mujeres Seguras, through many meetings that were held with the presence of the ITAM’s President during 2020.
As part of the administration representatives, we had the participation of Alejandra Peralta, Catalina Jaime, and the teacher Magdalena Barba. As academic representatives, Dr. Micaela Alterio, Dr. Francisca Pou, Dr. Adriana Alfaro, and Lydia López participated.
There were also present Melissa Ayala, teacher, and expert in the design of protocols, who has been selected for the preparation of the new Protocol proposal, and Doctor Adriana Ortiz, Sub director in Gender, Diversity, and Inclusion of ITAM.
The objective of this dialogue is to create a participatory dialogue process that allows our community to appropriate a voice to address gender violence, and sexual harassment, to prevent and eradicate that type of violence inside ITAM, through diverse tools, like a new version of the protocol to eradicate gender violence.
The first session started with an opening speech from Dr. Arturo Fernández, President of ITAM. On them, he expressed the relevance of having an instrument and a process that discourage and end harmful conduct against human dignity. The meeting proposes to create a solid protocol that protects women inside our community. Likewise, he also reiterated that the institution does not tolerate or cover up harassment of any kind or lack of respect or attacks against freedom of expression and thought, and he indicated that this exercise is done with the help of the entire community, with the objective of correcting any gap or deficiency that ITAM has in this area.
In the first topic of the tables, consent was addressed, and it was exposed that this not only implies the use of language, but also a construction that varies in each situation; language is not limited to orality, much less to language. It was added that humans have developed multiple language forms through the psique, the body or our facial expressions. That is why, accepting of rejecting something, not only involves saying two words, but a much more complex construction. This way, consent must be free, previous, informated, continuous, determinated, without pressions, and can be withdrawn at any time.
The second dialogue table consisted of the areas of application of the protocol. It was stated that the protocol should clearly define what it regulates, who are the regulated persons, where it regulates and when it can be applied.
The goal is to have a protocol strong enough to regulate any person that is part of the ITAM community, and to protect her. That is why is essential a communitarian participation for the dialogue on the next roundtables, and thus generate effective institutional tools.
To participate in the dialogue tables scheduled for the following Fridays and until March 19, the ITAM community can review all the details on the website: https://protocologenero.itam.mx/
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