As women from all over the globe, from Hollywood actresses to businesswomen, are starting to speak up about the sexual harassment and abuse they’ve been subjected to for years, the #metoo movement is continuing to shine a light on gender discrimination throughout all career paths and industries. Unfortunately, the animal rights and welfare movement is not immune to these very same problems, as discussed in a statement released by Compassion Over Killing (COK) Executive Director Erica Meier this week.
According to Meier, although the overwhelming majority of people working within this industry are women, most leadership positions are still held by men. COK is bucking this trend, with Meier heading the company, and many key leadership positions held by women.
“Whenever individuals don’t feel safe or comfortable enough to fully engage in their work or related activities, our ability as a movement to bring about lasting and meaningful change is undermined,” said Meier in a statement. “Harassment or other forms of discrimination disempower individuals and ultimately harm the animals that we are all here to serve.”
COK is admirably leading the way forward with this issue and have a zero-tolerance policy that covers all staff, including interns and volunteers. They provide compulsory sexual harassment training and encourage an open culture “free from harassment, prejudice and threats.”
Meier told Lady Freethinker: “Compassion Over Killing is a female-led and mostly female-driven farm animal protection organization, so we know first-hand the many challenges women face in our movement. And we’ve seen the harm caused by our movement’s silence on this topic: it has created a dysfunctional culture in which many women — each one an intelligent, creative, and passionate voice for animals — have been driven out or have chosen to leave the movement in order to find a more supportive environment. This culture not only goes against the many values we espouse in our mission-driven work to seek the truth, fight for justice, and extend compassion to all, but it ultimately damages our ability to elevate all of our voices for animals and sets back the progress we have achieved. Women deserve better. Animals deserve better. They need as many voices speaking up for them as possible.”
As a woman-led organization ourselves, we at Lady Freethinker are 100% on board with those sentiments. Thank you, Erica, for speaking out on a tough topic that we can no longer ignore.
What’s New…
Keep in mind that not all women treat other women well. There is a real issue concerning those women in the animal protection movement who suffer from queen bee syndrome and communal narcissism and how they bully and berate their competition and colleagues. Time for all people in the animal protection movement to start treating their fellow humans better. #timesup
Sam..what a great comment and observation. Couldn’t agree more.
that’s very encouraging to hear, but let’s see if any victims come forward. Hopefully they will feel free to do so.
geez, been involved for 39 years now, coming up 40 – founding a group which has been active since 1989. I have never once felt undermined or harrassed by a man in the A/R movement…i’ve certainly had my share of disagreements, told a couple to f off but then again, have had ‘engagements’ with women too. guess, according to this, I have been lucky
if that’s true then I guess no one knows better than the abuser how hideous the abuser is.
I have way more compassion for the women harassed in animal rights work than for the women who want to be in the movies. the movies are all about them… the animal rights is all about the animals.
Absolutely right!
Please don’t quote Gandhi.
He abused his wife, was a racist and more.
It saddens me how abusers of women are often deified in this AR movement
Keep up the fight — keep up with the disclosing of AND stopping of abuse & death to vulnerable & innocent animals — moreover, let’s bring a permanent stop to harassers & persecutors of all those who do good on behalf of animals & our natural world — it just doesn’t make sense! — SOMEONE must protect the innocent & vulnerable animals — WHY would anyone in their right mind, rational & compassionate STOP those who work to protect our animals.
“Of all the evils for which man has made himself responsible, none is so degrading, so shocking or so brutal as his abuse of the better half of humanity; the female sex.” Mahatma Gandhi
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way in which its animals are treated. I hold that the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man.” Mahatma Gandhi
I cannot say it better than Gandhi.
Animals have always been cruelly abused, women have always been verbally, physically abused. So we have plenty in common with each other, M E N !!!!! Well mostly.