EAA Safe Space Policy for Belgrade
Updated on 20 November 2025
EAA Safe Space Policy
The EAA supports the rights and freedoms of its Members. We are committed to ensuring that everyone feels supported in attending our forthcoming Annual Meeting in Belgrade.
We expect all participants to respect the personal boundaries of others, whether they be physical, emotional or cultural. The EAA believes that people from different backgrounds bring ideas, creative thinking and wide-ranging approaches to those topics and subjects that we engage in; this dynamic makes our Annual Meetings both innovative and effective.
We support the right of all our Members to be able to express their viewpoints without undue interruption. Constructive criticism and dissent are welcome, but should be focused on the topic, not the person. Any participant must consider the effect their own words and actions may have on others.
Sexual harassment of any kind will not be tolerated within the EAA. Examples of sexual harassment include: victim is leered at; lewd suggestive remarks aimed at the victim; sexist remarks and jokes aimed at the victim; pornographic material shown or sent by social media; stalking; unwelcome physical, sexual and conversational advances.
Sexual harassment is a pernicious form of behaviour that oversteps the personal boundaries of others and seeks to debase a person on the basis of gender. It is always one sided and it is undesired by the person targeted by the abuser. It is demeaning and offensive, it undermines self-confidence and it generates fear and uncertainty in its victim. Sexual harassment has nothing to do with sexual attraction and it can develop in a subtle way, but it is motivated by a wish to dominate and control the victim. It can originate from an individual or a group. Sexual harassment can occur verbally, in gestures or in actions.
The EAA will not tolerate inappropriate, intimidating or offensive behaviour, whether verbal, written or physical, including harassment or unwarranted and unwelcome attention in any form. Failure to abide by this policy will result in appropriate action being taken by the EAA or the Annual Meeting organisers. If necessary, local authorities will be informed.
To report discrimination, harassment, assault, bullying or intimidation at EAA Annual Meetings or within an EAA context, please contact the Appeal and Anti-Harassment Committee either in person or by email to antiharassment@e-a-a.org. Provide details about the discrimination, harassment, assault, bullying or intimidation you have been subjected to, or which you witnessed or are aware of. The details describing the incident should be submitted in English. If available, it is recommended to submit supporting documents (e.g., emails, photographs, court or third-party decisions on a case) which can be in the original language. The Appeal and Anti-Harassment Committee will treat the identity of the persons involved in the case as well as the supporting documents confidentially (e.g., in terms of filing, sharing and discarding the documents).
If the case or current circumstances are immediate (e.g., both the person making the complaint and the alleged offender are in attendance at an EAA Annual Meeting at the time), you can request an escort by a fellow EAA Member who will ensure that the EAA Safe Space Policy is observed. An escort can be requested either by sending an email to antiharassment@e-a-a.org or in person at the EAA desk, located next to the registration area.
Filing a HABI complaint or notification with the AAHC before an Annual Meeting must occur within two weeks of the publication of the preliminary Annual Meeting programme; any complaints filed after this deadline will be reviewed and subject to ad hoc action. Complaints filed anonymously will not be considered by the committee.
For procedures of the Appeal and Anti-Harassment Committee, please see here.
Policies of the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade
Traditionally, as a legacy of Socialist Yugoslavia, of which Serbia was a member from 1945 to 1991, gender equality has been highly valued in the archaeological community of Serbia. However, sexual harassment and assault have recently come to the forefront of public awareness as significant concerns. Positive developments for Serbian archaeology have been achieved since December 2019 with the adoption of the Policy on Protection Against Sexual Harassment and Blackmail at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade. The policy was revised throughout 2021, with the final version being adopted in early 2022. The Serbian Victimological Society held training in 2023 to strengthen capacities to responding to sexual violence at all faculties in Serbia, intended for student representatives and teachers selected from the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Belgrade.
At the Faculty of Philosophy, the appointed commissioner for the protection of gender equality is Professor Lidija Radulović at poverenica.filozofski@gmail.com. For consultation and support in cases of sexual assault or harassment, one can contact Biljana Stanković at biljana.stankovic@f.bg.ac.rs.
The Department of Archaeology at the same Faculty of Philosophy adopted the Ethical Codex of the Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade in 2022, of which the 5th principle promotes safe educational and workplace environments. Workplace environments should be free from all physical and non-physical discriminatory and violent practices, which include but are not limited to harassment, assault and/or bullying.
Accordingly, archaeologists should conduct themselves with respect for all individuals, including those whose cultures we study as well as one another, particularly LGBTQIA+ individuals. The archaeological community in Serbia has a long and complicated history of recognizing non-normative figures as respected archaeological authorities.