Human rights organizations called on the State Duma to adopt the code of ethics against sexual harassment

Transpensers International - Russia, the design and educational laboratory of the anti -corruption policy of the National Research University of the Higher School of Economics (Higher School of Economics) and three organizations for the protection of women's rights called to accept the State Duma and introduce criminal liability for deputies for the actions of a sexual nature in relation to people related to work. This is stated in an appeal addressed to the chairman of the Committee of the Lower House of Parliament on the regulations of Olga Savstyanova.

The text of the appeal is published on the TI website . Human rights activists recall that the State Duma has not yet approved the Code of Deputy Ethics, despite the fact that the UN Convention against corruption ratified by Russia in 2006 recommends this. The group of countries against corruption (Greco) recommends accepting such a document.

Human rights activists recalled the situation with deputy Leonid Slutsky, whom three journalists accused of sexual harassment, but the parliamentarian did not suffer any punishment.

In this regard, the authors of the appeal are asked to develop, submit to public discussion and accept the Code of Ethics and official behavior of the deputy. It should contain a "provisions on the inadmissibility of any actions or encroachments on sexual actions against citizens with whom the deputy communicates in official quality." For violation of the provisions of the Code, the authors of the letter propose to provide liability up to the termination of authority.

The appeal was also signed by the regional public organization "Independent Charity Center for Assisting Sexual Violence" Sisters ", the All -Russian Association of Women's Public Organizations" Consortium of women's non -governmental associations ", Autonomous non -profit organization" Center for Work with the Problem of Violence "Violence.no".

In early March, the deputy editor -in -chief of the RTVI television channel Ekaterina Kotrikadze , the producer of the Rain television channel Daria Zhuk and the Russian BBC service, Farida Rustamova , reported the head of the Duma Committee on International Affairs of Leonid Slutsky. They filed a complaint with the State Duma Commission on Ethics. They were joined by the TV presenter at that time presidential candidate Ksenia Sobchak.

The State Duma Commission on Ethics on March 21, having examined the complaints received in the closed mode, did not find any violations in the behavior of Slutsky. Moreover, the members of the commission accused the media representatives of the “planned nature” of actions and sided with the deputy. After that, many media completely or partially refused to work with the State Duma.

Slutsky himself at first refused to comment on the accusations of the Harassment, but on March 8 he congratulated the women on the holiday and apologized to those of them to whom he "caused any experiences."