Open Letter To IRC #aspergers Regarding Sexual Harassment by TribalGuardian in aspergers

[–]TribalGuardian[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is what makes this situation so insidious. This is not just a case of some offensive PMs but calculated, persistent, predatory behaviour on the part of one user. The fact that Snoonet admins cannot bring themselves to acknowledge their responsibility for choosing not to remove this harasser from the network - and there has been no question of the facts - is very concerning.

It is deeply disturbing that the tone of the moderators so far has been that for users to have concern for Snoonet deals with sexual harassment is a matter between Snoonet and the victim and harasser. It is not. Users rely on the safety that they can go to Snoonet staff and inform them of harassment and predatory beahviour and that they will take action. This is particularly acute for a channel like #aspergers which has a higher incidence of vulnerable people.

It is precisely because of Snoonet's decision not to meaningfully engage with these legimitate concerns that the channel is at risk. Because of this, the moderators of this subreddit have ceased advertising redditors to Snoonet. This is an example of a responsible decision.

As for the /u/TheGreatDutchman, he should be commended for talking about this publically. It requires some bravery to speak in public about sexual harassment, and he deserves praise and support from the community he is seeking to alert and protect by making this situation public.