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Creating a music industry that’s safe for all

We all have a role to play in making the Finnish music industry safe for all!

The purpose of this guidance is to offer clear advice to members on how to tackle harassment and inappropriate behaviour at your local level. The guidance applies to all work settings within the music industry and to all individuals and organisations participating in them.

A “work setting” can be a gig, concert, rehearsal, recording session, songwriting residential, music video shoot, promotional event or work-related trip. “Individuals and organisations” include performers, musicians, audience members, producers, record companies, orchestras, event organisers and promoters.

This guidance has been jointly produced by:

Additional input was provided by Ekvalita and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare.

What are harassment, discrimination and inappropriate behaviour?

Harassment is a form of discrimination as set out in the Non-discrimination Act and the Act on Equality between Women and Men. Harassment and discrimination can also occur in situations where the victim does not recognise themselves as such. It is important to ensure that those who experience harassment and discrimination have the opportunity to be heard and for their experience to be validated.

Harassment and discrimination take many forms. Victims should not be expected to name the form of harassment and discrimination they have faced. Our perception of harassment is always a personal and subjective one.

In harassment, a person’s behaviour creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for another person related to prohibited grounds for discrimination, such as sexual orientation, origin or disability (Reference: Non-discrimination Ombudsman.)

Not all unwanted behaviour constitutes harassment. The perpetrator’s motivation or the witnesses’ perceptions of the incident do not determine the nature of the events that have occurred. If appropriate, legal action should be pursued to ensure that the matter is dealt with through the justice system.

Below, we have listed some examples of harassment, discrimination and inappropriate behaviour:

 

Verbal, non-verbal or physical harassment or other inappropriate conduct that is liable to cause harm or pose a risk to the victim’s health.

Any behaviour intended to create an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive atmosphere.

Unwanted sexually-motivated behaviour that encroaches on another person’s mental or physical autonomy and their right to sexual self-determination.

Any unwanted behaviour that is not of a sexual nature but is directed at a person’s sex, gender identity or gender expression and perpetrated with the purpose or effect of violating another person’s dignity or physical autonomy.

Any unwanted comments relating to a person’s age, appearance or skin colour.

 

  • Evidence-based information

    In 2018, the Finnish Musicians’ Union conducted a survey of our members’ experiences of sexual harassment.

    A survey on equality in the Finnish music industry was run in early 2022. The survey was commissioned by the Finnish Musicians’ Union, Gramex, IFPI Finland, Finnish Jazz Federation, Finnish Music Publishers Association, Association of Finnish Symphony Orchestras, Society of Finnish Composers and Teosto Music Copyright Association.

  • Harassment, discrimination and inappropriate behaviour are against the law

    In Finland, harassment and inappropriate behaviour are covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the Act on Equality between Women and Men (sexual harassment and sex and gender-based harassment), the Non-Discrimination Act (discrimination and harassment) and the Criminal Code (sexual harassment).

    Occupational Safety and Health Act

    1 §
    The objectives of this Act are to improve the working environment and working conditions in order to ensure and maintain the employees’ ability to work as well as to prevent occupational accidents and diseases and eliminate other risks from work and the working environment to the physical and mental health, hereinafter health, of employees.

    https://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/ajantasa/2002/20020738

    Act on Equality between Women and Men

    1 §
    The objectives of this Act are to prevent discrimination based on sex, to promote equality between women and men, and thus to improve the status of women, particularly in working life. Furthermore, it is the objective of this Act to prevent discrimination based on gender identity or gender expression.

    https://finlex.fi/fi/laki/ajantasa/1986/19860609

    Non-Discrimination Act

    1 §
    The purpose of this Act is to promote equality and prevent discrimination as well as to enhance the protection provided by law to those who have been discriminated against.

    https://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/alkup/2014/20141325

    Criminal Code

    1 §
    Finnish law applies to an offence committed in Finland.

    https://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/ajantasa/1889/18890039001

Stopping harassment, discrimination and inappropriate behaviour

The Finnish music industry does not condone harassment or discriminate in any form. We have a zero tolerance policy towards all forms of harassment, discrimination and inappropriate behaviour.

What to do if you encounter harassment

  • Confront the perpetrator and tell them that you object to their actions. Alternatively, speak to the victim and ask what form of support they need.
  • Report the incident to the employer, the occupational safety representative, the designated harassment contact person or other responsible person.
  • Contact the authorities.

What to do if you are subjected to harassment

  • Confront the perpetrator and tell them that you object to their actions
  • Seek help and support from other people present
  • Remove yourself from the situation.
  • Report the incident to your employer, the occupational safety representative or the relevant contact person within your organisation and tell them what has happened
  • If the relevant contact person is unavailable, or they are the person committing the harassment, you can report the incident to another person within your organisation

 

If you have committed harassment or engaged in inappropriate behaviour

  • Apologise for your behaviour and accept that it was unwanted even if it was not intended that way.
  • Learn from the event and engage actively with any investigation that may follow.
  • You can also approach the relevant contact person within your organisation to address what has happened.

Harassment or inappropriate behaviour is reported within your organisation, at an event you have organised or similar

  • Take action to ensure that the matter is addressed appropriately and that the harassment is stopped.

 

You can also contact the police or your own membership organisation for help and support:

Existing practices and policies

Some excellent practices and policies already exist within the Finnish music industry

Get involved – let’s make this a safe industry for all

We hope that you will adopt this guidance and apply it in your own work.

You too can make a difference by organising training for the equality and inclusion officer within your organisation, by highlighting these issues through your communications and by raising them with your professional contacts and networks by and initiating discussions within your community of any relevant issues that come to your attention.

Download the resources

Hashtags:
#safeforall
#safeateverystage

For further information, please contact: