National Governing Bodies Required to Implement IQA Harassment Policy
The International Quidditch Association (IQA) created the International Quidditch Association Policy on Harassment in the last year, and national governing bodies (NGBs) had until December to either accept the policy or create their own with the organization’s approval. The first deadline was until August 31, but then it was postponed to November 30. The policy should be effective immediately and currently implemented at the local level.
The IQA and its members will not tolerate Unlawful Behavior, Discrimination, Harassment, or Abuse at any Event.
The IQA Policy on Harassment was published months before the organization’s BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) committee was created and before the Muggle quidditch community issued a statement of support for the LGBTQIA+ community in response to tweets by J.K. Rowling. That affirmed the words of Rahel Liviero, Chair of the IQA Board of Trustees, who considers the policy a milestone.
We are enthusiastic about this milestone. It was a long overdue step for our community, and there is a long way to go to ensure the safety of our members, volunteers, and players.
The policy specifies behaviors that will not be tolerated by the IQA. This includes sexual, physical, mental, or emotional abuse or prejudicial treatment based on race, religion, sex, gender, or national origin. It also specifies how these incidents should be reported. The policy is applied to all who are involved with the IQA – as employees, volunteers, or athletes – and to all members of the IQA’s NGBs.
If an NGB chose not to accept the policy, it could lose its membership status with the IQA. This would affect its attendance at IQA events, such as the next IQA World Cup or IQA Continental Games.
