The Catalan Cinema Academy apologizes for “the communication” and “revictimization” in the Eduard Cortés case

Last December, Eduard Cortés, director of series such as Merli and Not one morewas accused by 27 women of “sexual harassment” in an investigation published by El País. Previously, the Catalan Cinema Academy was already studying the public complaint of harassment that one of them had made on social networks. However, the filmmaker requested his discharge “for personal reasons” on November 25, so the sanctioning file was “suspended”, despite the fact that an expert commission specialized in sexual violence was established.

In their public complaint, the group of affected women emphasized what in their opinion was poor performance by the institutions to which they turned. These women wrote a statement that warned of “the cracks” in “society, the industry and the legal system” when these types of cases are reported. This Wednesday, the Catalan Academy issued a statement in which it apologizes for “the communication gaps” between “the victims and the entity”, and for “any management that may have caused re-victimization.”

In its writing, the Academy wants to make it clear that the designed protocol was correctly applied. The organization assures that in compliance with article 13.2 of its Statutes, which define the entity’s disciplinary regime, “the Board of Directors approved ex officio on October 30 the opening of a sanctioning procedure.”

The Academy also assures that “it currently maintains an open communication channel with them.” [las víctimas]with the aim of continuing to work on the eradication of sexist violence” and regrets “any management [por su parte] that could have caused revictimization.”

The statement then goes on to explain that “the first step of the procedure initiated on October 30 was the constitution of a commission by a lawyer and a psychologist specialized in sexist violence and the coordinator of the Department against abuse.” Based on the victims’ testimonies on social networks and in the media, according to the statement, “the commission analyzed the types of violence suffered by the complainants, and identified quid pro quo sexual harassment.”

Cyberbullying

In the words of the Academy, it is “sexual blackmail by which the harassed person is forced to choose between submitting to certain sexual requirements or losing or not having access to certain benefits or conditions at work,” which implies an abuse of authority. The statement also recognizes that “in the behaviors described by the actresses through social networks, different situations of power inequality are visible (such as age and professional career, and position in the film industry)” and that “ According to the stories, Cortés used them to occupy a position of superiority, “from which to carry out sexual blackmail to gain access to these opportunities.”

“The commission,” reveals the Catalan Cinema Academy, “concluded that the victims had suffered cybersexual harassment, a type of sexual or gender harassment through the digital sphere.”

“Taking into account the seriousness of the events, and in accordance with article 6.4 of the Academy’s internal regulations, two precautionary measures were determined,” the Academy says in the statement. He then goes on to explain the aforementioned measures: “On the one hand, the suspension of the rights corresponding to the status of academic during the validity of the sanctioning procedure, and on the other, the disqualification for participation in the Gaudí Awards or any other project or activity of the Academy for which a registration, selection or similar procedure has been established.”

But the Catalan cinema entity explains that “at the time when these two precautionary measures were going to be communicated to Eduard Cortés, the Academy received his request for voluntary withdrawal as an academic.” Given this fact, and given that the entity’s regulations do not allow acting on people who are not members, the file was provisionally archived and, according to the letter, “it will be reopened immediately in the event that this person requests registration again. ”.

The Academy also wants to make it clear that “it applied the code of conduct included in the Rules of the Gaudí Awards, which contemplate in article 16 the possibility of not allowing the participation or attendance at the event of any person involved in a case of sexual violence. Finally, the statement closes with the Catalan Cinema Academy’s rejection of “sexist violence and abuse of power” and reiterates its “willingness to act against any of these behaviors that occur in its organization.”

#Catalan #Cinema #Academy #apologizes #communication #revictimization #Eduard #Cortés #case

Next Post

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recommended