ImWithThem.org Goes Live, Privately and Securely Connecting Victims of Work-Related Sexual Misconduct

ORANGE, Calif., Jan. 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- On the heels of the nationwide Women's March (January 19) and in the wake of legislation to limit nondisclosure agreements that stifle victims' abilities to communicate, ImWithThem.org, a website developed by the nonprofit I'm With Them, goes live today with a goal of reducing work-related sexual misconduct by securely and confidentially providing connections between victims of the same perpetrator.  Connection and subsequent communication between victims tear down traditional barriers to reporting. When connected with others by the site, victims benefit from:

• harnessing each other's support, skills and resources;
• reducing the likelihood of retaliation;
• enhancing substantiation of patterns of behavior;
• developing a shared approach to the perpetrator; and
• increasing the likelihood of achieving their common goals.

ImWithThem.org serves victims of misconduct--across businesses, non-profits, government, education, healthcare and other organizations--who intend to share their experiences to seek justice and prevent a perpetrator from acting again.  Victims privately register at the website, identify their perpetrator(s) and characterize the incident(s) of sexual misconduct experienced. When a critical mass of victims is identified as sharing the same perpetrator, each victim receives names and email addresses of others.

"I'm With Them is a game-changer, harnessing community in the fight against sexual misconduct," said Christopher-Rasheem McMillan, Assistant Professor of Gender, Women's & Sexuality Studies at the University of Iowa. "It has the capacity to combat three major concerns of people who have been impacted: isolation, insufficient evidence of patterns of predatory behavior, and victim agency. The person impacted by misconduct gets to decide with whom to share their experiences and how to proceed every step of way."

I'm With Them was founded by noted consumer and victims advocate Laurie Girand, and her husband, Scott McGregor, former CEO of Broadcom Corporation.  "We were inspired by the many victims who have already come forward only to learn many others were also affected.  We thought: what can we do to catalyze and accelerate this process, so they can strategize together?" said Girand.  "Individual victims are too often ignored; I'm With Them recognizes that with numbers, the balance of power shifts toward victims."

Over time, as ImWithThem.org gathers data about corporate and industry practices, I'm With Them plans to work with organizations to develop more equitable and inclusive workplaces, while maintaining the privacy of its users and their individual experiences.

"Businesses, institutions, and organizations and those who work for them want inclusive and respectful workplaces," added Tania King, a seasoned executive with a global organization and nearly 25 years of experience in the Legal, Compliance, and Human Resources arenas.  "By building connections between claimants and helping them consolidate their experiences and identify patterns, I'm With Them can accelerate misconduct investigations and help provide the support organizations need to act quickly and effectively.  It can also help amplify the voices of those on the periphery of organizations--customers, vendors, and interviewees--who may feel more comfortable with this type of platform."

With victims controlling the timing, coordination and sharing of experiences, ImWithThem.org will further swell the social and cultural sea change of #MeToo, counteracting power imbalances and helping to ensure that organizations act ethically, responsibly, and cooperatively, and therefore more productively.

About I'm With Them

I'm With Them is a non-profit whose mission is to reduce work-related sexual misconduct. Uniting victims, ImWithThem.org breaks through barriers of isolation and doubt, empowering victims to share substantiation and coordinate approaches.  Follow us on Twitter: @imwiththemtoo.

SOURCE I'm With Them

Related Links

https://www.imwiththem.org