Communication

• All communication should be appropriate for a general audience, which will include people from many different religions, cultures and nations
• Sexual language and imagery are not welcome
• Please be thoughtful when making jokes or discussing sensitive topics or issues that are likely to have a strong personal effect on some people. If in doubt, ask for advice or simply moderate your expression.

Harrassment

PyCon NG will not tolerate harrasment in any form, or language, imagery or behaviour that are:

• Sexist, racist or exclusionary
• Intimidating or threatening
• Insulting or unpleasant

Harrasment can include any unwelcome behaviour directed at another person.

In the Event of a problem

If you are troubled by the behaviour of another attendee at the conference, or are concerned that another attendee may be in distress, please speak immediately to any member of conference staff or contact our code of conduct liaison volunteers. See how to report a code of conduct concern.

Your concern will be heard in confidence, taken seriously, and dealt with according to a documented procedure for handling code of conduct reports

Conference staff - volunteers and organisers - will be on hand throughout the conference. Any concern, whatever it is, will be immediately passed on to a member of the conference committee. The committee will investigate promptly and if necessary will take appropriate action. This could include:

• Asking a violator of the Code of Conduct to leave the event immediately (no refunds will be forthcoming)
• Passing on details of the incident to the Python Software Foundation
• Informing the police about the incident

We will provide you with a written satatement of the outcome, whatever it is.

Transparency Report

We will publish a Code of Conduct report after the conference, containing an anonymised list of any reports we received, and how we responded.

• Calling or sending a text message (during the conference itself only)
• Emailing us
• Speaking to one of the conference organisers at the conference

Should an incident occur, please report it, preferably in writing. If in doubt, report your concerns. There is very little harm in an unnecessary report, but potentially significant harm in an unreported problem.

All Reports will be kept Confidential

When reporting the incident, try to gather as much information as available. A committee member can assist you in writing the report or collecting information. Please do not interview people about the incident, but leave this to a committee member.

• Identifying information about the individuals involved
• The nature of the problematic behaviour
• The approximate time of the behaviour
• The circumstances surrounding the incident

Committee members will be well-briefed on how to deal with incident reports, and on how to further proceed with the situation. See these guidelines for more information.

Incident Handling: Guidelines

All committee members should read this document and be familiar with its contents. Be sure to have a good understanding of our Code of Conduct.

First Response

If there is any general threat to attendees or the safety of anyone is in doubt, summon security or call the police.

Gather information

Try to get as much of the incident in written form by the reporter. If you cannot, transcribe it yourself as it was told to you. The important information to gather includes the following:

• Identifying information about the individuals involved.
• The nature of the problematic behaviour.
• The approximate time of the behaviour.
• The circumstances surrounding the incident.

If Someone is in Distress

Try to get as much of the incident in written form by the reporter. If you cannot, transcribe it yourself as it was told to you. The important information to gather includes the following:

• Find them a quiet and private place to sit
• Ask them if there is a friend whom they'd like to be with.
• Ask them "how can I help?".
• Ensure they have contact information for you and the committee

Follow up the Report

Alert the conference chair and other committee members. This meeting needs to establish, as far as possible:

• What happened.
• What needs to be done, who will do it, and when.

If the committee decides that the complaint merits further action, the subject of the complaint needs to be informed about the matter. This must take place privately.

Ask them to respond

On the basis of all the information you have received, the committee will need to decide on an appropriate action and communicate it to the parties involved.

On the basis of all the information you have received, the committee will need to decide on an appropriate action and communicate it to the parties involved.

Emergency Action

Occasionally, you may be required to act immediately. For example, you may need to interrupt or even terminate a talk or session that is in serious violation of the code of conduct, or warn someone about language or behaviour on the spot.

What not to do

• Do not invite a complainant to withdraw a complaint, or imply that they might wish to (however, you can give them the option by using a form such as "We will [do such-and-such], as long as you are still happy with that."
• Do not ask for their advice on how to deal with the issue.
• Do not ask for their opinion on an appropriate sanction.

However seriously you take a complaint, avoid implying that you will take a particular course of action until the committee has been able to consider the matter.

Keep a written Record

It's important to have a written record of the complaint, decisions, and actions taken. Some actions will need to be taken after the event. A written record ensures that the matter can be followed up adequately.