Recently we have witnessed many people bringing forward their testimonies of abuse and sexual harassment at the hands of powerful and influential people in the games industry. It takes great courage to speak out in this way and we hear and believe all accounts. GWU UK will always stand with victims and survivors who have experienced abuse and are experiencing trauma, whether they feel able to go public, take legal action or stay anonymous and not divulge information.
We are committed to making this industry a safer, more humane, and inclusive place to work. Everyone should be able to thrive free from exploitation, harassment and abuse and feel liberated to express themselves however they desire.
All GWU UK members have access to IWGB’s legal team for advice and defence for any incidents that occur while they are union members. (If you would like to become a member of GWU UK, you can do so here: https://www.gwu-uk.org/join/). We are currently exploring ways that we can support non-members and people whose experiences predate their membership (watch this space!). We will never pressure anyone to go public or take legal or HR actions for their specific case.
It’s clear that these problems are widespread across the global games industry, and the UK is no exception. We have set up a survey that can be answered anonymously to collect accounts of sexual harassment, coercion, and violence while in the games industry. We’re not here to question or judge, only to support you if you wish. Do not feel like any experience is too small or insignificant. The results of this survey will help us to understand the scale of the problem, identify vulnerable situations, and work towards creating a strategy to counter it. We can also reach out to individuals, if they wish, and work with them to see what redress might look like and how education can be used to shape the future game industry we want to work in.
Please fill out the survey here: https://forms.gle/TYUcrKJftL41hu4U7
Thank you!!1