Policy on Adult Sexual Misconduct and Abuse

Spiritual Grounding

Within our meetings we come to know and care deeply for each other as we move through life’s passages together. As in families and intimate groups, however, we inevitably experience everything from everyday slights to more serious violations. OVYM has created this policy to help Friends deal specifically with sexual misconduct between adults. The effort to create a policy arose after our yearly meeting was asked to deal with an allegation of sexual assault. We offer this policy and accompanying Education Guidelines and Resource list as an invitation to explore this difficult territory together. The OVYM Sexual Misconduct Task Force presents this policy as a first step in developing our ability to respond to allegations of sexual misconduct, prior to response and support teams receiving the necessary training to make this policy actionable. “If there are glaring omissions or substantive changes that need to occur after our training this policy and the procedures outlined may be revised within the year. At a minimum, we recommend reviewing this policy in three years — after the training, the development of a group of Friends working on these matters, and in consultation with the RN&E Friends who oversee the process and provide accountability, and who report to the Executive Committee.”

Ohio Valley Yearly Meeting recognizes that sexual misconduct harms our communities by disrupting feelings of safety and harmony. We commit to assist monthly meetings to understand and actively address the problem and educate ourselves to create a healthy and respectful culture. This policy applies to interactions between adults 18 years and older at Ohio Valley Yearly Meeting events. (For youth under age 18, see Section 4.13 in the OVYM Handbook.)

A Historical Note from the 2019 Task Force

Sexual misconduct is a complex issue, and for a host of reasons we may find it difficult to address — the issues and dynamics involved may be new to our awareness; thinking about sexual abuse of another person may be painful; most of us are not accustomed to discussing sexual behavior openly; we worry we are violating another person’s privacy, etc. As our awareness grows, we may recognize ways to develop this policy further. We encourage our quarterly and monthly meetings to adopt similar policies. Though usually hidden, sexual misconduct is a common occurrence in our culture, and Friends are no exception.

Sexual misconduct is a violation of the indwelling presence of the Light in both the target and the perpetrator and thus of our testimonies. It can be hard to believe that it happens in our community. Allegations of sexual assault in multiple meetings and a Friend’s admission of sexually inappropriate behavior made us realize that sexual misconduct happens right here in OVYM. In 2018 when we became aware of one incident, nine Friends spoke up publicly at our annual sessions to say they, too, had experienced sexual misconduct (not all within Friends’ meetings). Those public conversations sparked other private conversations in which additional OVYM Friends shared experiences.

Background and Impact of Sexual Misconduct

(1) Sexual misconduct encompasses any unwelcome behavior of a sexual nature that is committed without expressed, enthusiastic consent or committed by force, intimidation, coercion, or manipulation.

(2) Sexual misconduct includes but is not limited to sexual assault, sexual harassment, sexual exploitation, and sexual intimidation.

(3) Sensitivity to sexual misconduct may vary among people and between generations, but the critical factor is the absence of enthusiastic consent.

(4) Sexual misconduct can occur independent of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.

(5) Sexual misconduct may vary in its severity and consists of a range of behaviors or attempted behaviors.

(6) Sexual misconduct can occur between strangers or acquaintances, including people involved in an intimate or sexual relationship.

(7) Sexist cultural norms and power differences between people (e.g. gender, age, employment hierarchies) are factors that enable sexual misconduct.

(8) According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one woman in three will experience sexual violence in her lifetime. Because many abuses go unreported, the true number of violations women and girls suffer is likely much higher. According to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime, one in two transgender individuals are sexually abused or assaulted at some point in their life.

(9) It is very possible that the persons involved in any reported incident may have experienced previous sexual trauma.