A culture of documentation isn’t just ideal for tech teams, it is also great for women being harassed. It can make it easier to build an irrefutable case, avoid meaningless questions and escalate things when you need to.
We are all aware that there’s the possibility that you won’t be believed. Because “Taylor? They couldn’t hurt a fly!” So it helps to have documented proof of wrongdoing. If they’ve left a text trail, screenshot them. If that doesn’t exist, it helps to keep a note of where all the camera’s are when you are around this person. And hey, a body camera always helps! Maybe record all conversations you have too!
It is highly likely that your abuser will pretend like there was consent. Or like this is all just a big misunderstanding. So try to get that in writing. You can send an email saying “Hey, you did x to/around me yesterday and it made me uncomfortable”.
Of course this can be scary because they can deny any wrongdoing in their reply or better yet, retaliate professionally.
I know, I know, this sounds outrageous. But see, all of our favourite abusers have perfected their “I meant no harm” pitch. And if they’re powerful, there’s a good chance they got there without a lot of charm. So most people will believe them when they say they meant no harm and that they really, truly are so sorry about all that has happened.
This leads to them getting off on a simpler punishment.
If you really want them to pay — you need to help lawyers and anyone else who may be involved in this case see that there was malicious intent.
How can you gather evidence of that except by accessing their personal journals? So of course, you will have to learn to hack.
Is any playbook really complete without a template for documentation? No, I think not.
Here are some resources to get you started:
Rae Nudson’s A Step-by-Step Guide to Documenting Sexual Harassment: https://gen.medium.com/a-step-by-step-guide-to-documenting-sexual-harassment-fc0a07102c42
Legal Aid Work’s Sample Log to Document Sexual Harassment: https://legalaidatwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Sample-Log-to-Document-Sexual-Harassment-00605327.pdf
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