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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MechaPilot" data-source="post: 6876587" data-attributes="member: 82779">As someone who was harassed (not at a convention, but harassed all the same), I'd like to chime in about having to tell what was said to whom you're reporting the the incident.Let's, for the sake of discussion, say that my harassment experience happened at a convention and that I had reported it.*What I would reasonably expect to happen as part of the reporting process is that my harasser and I would both be separately pulled aside, and that I would to have to give some kind of description of what happened to me so that the convention staff could then decide what level of response was appropriate: a formal warning, ejection, lifetime ban, putting the boots to him.**Now let's get into the arena of what I believe should happen with me in that situation.If I had to recount that experience while it was still relatively fresh, I would have preferred to have been given a nice safe room to sit in (even a relatively small one) that was away from my accuser, and that was free of an audience in front of whom I would have been embarrassed and a little ashamed to recount my story.I also would want a plain-clothes female representative to speak to: her being female would reduce but not eliminate the feelings of being threatened that would arise while recounting my story.  The plain-clothes aspect would also help assuage some of the intimidation of talking to an authority figure: I may be a white girl with no criminal background, but I still get nervous talking to security and police.Now let's talk about the accused.What I would reasonably expect is that security would take down his information, that would probably include a picture of him to help them find him again later if it were necessary.  I would expect them to pull him aside and ask him what his version of the story is.  I would also expect them to warn him not to leave the premises, in case my accusation included him committing a prosecutable crime.  And, I would expect them to keep an eye on him at least until after I had completed my report, but ideally for the remainder of the convention.I would also expect security to take down the information of those nearby who were potentially witnesses to what happened, and to pull them aside and interview them as to what they hear/saw.  Individually pulling them aside is important.  A potential witness may feel intimidated to speak in front of other players who may have been complicit.***Now let's talk resolution.After my full complaint had been filed, I would expect security to have a follow-up talk with the accused and the potential witnesses, as well as to check any available audio or video footage for potential evidence.If my claim were corroborated by witnesses (technological or otherwise) then I would expect punitive action to be taken.  Naturally, we may not all agree on what level of action is necessary, so I'm omitting that for now so that I can focus on the process of handling the complaints.  However, if the punishment did not include removing the accused from the convention, I would expect security to keep an eye on both of us for the safety of both of us and those who would be around us if a confrontation later occurred.If my claim were not corroborated (as would have been the case in the harassment experience that I related), then I would expect security to keep an eye on both of us, so as to prevent any retaliation from either party: be aware that the accused could go after the accuser for reporting the issue, and that the harassed party, when fear turns to anger, could potentially call relatives or friends to help settle the score (as a prime example of this, although I am currently talking about handling instances of harassment, if I were to call my father in tears and tell him that I was sexually assaulted or raped, he'd drive down to the convention center armed to the teeth and looking for blood).* In reality, I probably would not have reported it because (if you recall what my harassment experience was) I would have assumed the other players would have backed up the DM who harassed me.  In the case of those specific players, I feel very confident they would have backed the DM against my accusation if it had happened at a con.** This last punishment example is intended to be humorous.  But, at the time of my actual harassment experience it was what I really wanted someone to do to that DM, and to the players who just sat by getting their jollies by watching him do that to me.*** In my case, this would have been useless because the players all would have backed the DM, but that's also because all those players knew each other for quite a while and were not strangers meeting to play together at a con.</blockquote>

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