Equality, diversity and inclusion are intrinsic values throughout the festival. Those values will be reflected in everything we do, especially in our choice of venue and in our programming.

Aims

Edinburgh Women’s Fiction Festival (‘EWFF’) aims to create a safe and welcoming environment for everyone involved in the delivery of, and participation in, our annual festival dedicated to women’s fiction. This includes participants, volunteers, partners, any other stakeholders and members of the public.

Promote Accessibility, Diversity and Inclusion

We aim to design our activities, services, and decision making processes specifically to encourage and support participation from people who face disadvantage in society, including women, BME people, disabled people, LGBTQ people, vulnerable people and people on low incomes.

Programme Aims

EWFF will always review venues to ensure that they provide appropriate access for people with disabilities. Where necessary and appropriate, EWFF will work to make reasonable adjustments.

Each year as we develop our festival programme, we aim to organise events and activities that suit the interests and meet the needs of a diverse range of people. EWFF will strive to reflect all facets of the women’s fiction community. We will aim to invite contributors from a diverse range of backgrounds. Furthermore our programming team is committed to seeking out marginalized and underrepresented writers for inclusion in our programme.

All of EWFF's events will have concession prices and the festival will give away up to ten percent of all tickets to those on low income. Access to the festival venue will be free, and a number of free events will be included in the programme each year.

Decision Making

EWFF will seek that fifty percent of the board are/identify as female at all times. As the Festival grows, the Board of Trustees will also seek to attract trustees from more diverse backgrounds.

Volunteers

EWFF aims to attract festival volunteers from diverse backgrounds. We will work closely with partners such as the Scottish Book Trust and Edinburgh City Libraries to reach out to those who are marginalized and underrepresented.

Discrimination

EWFF endorses and accepts the statutory requirements as laid down in the Equality Act. It is unlawful to discriminate directly or indirectly in recruitment or employment because of age, disability, sex, gender re-assignment, pregnancy, parenthood, race (which includes colour, nationality, and ethnic or national origins), sexual orientation, religion or belief, or because someone is married or in a civil partnership.

In addition, staff and volunteers will not discriminate against or harass a member of the public in the provision of services.

Unlawful discrimination can include:

Direct discrimination – where a person is treated less favourably than another because of a protected characteristic

Indirect discrimination – where a provision, criterion or practice is applied that is discriminatory in relation to individuals who have a relevant protected characteristic.

Harassment – where there is unwanted conduct, related to one of the protected characteristics.

Associative discrimination – where an individual is directly discriminated against or harassed for association with another individual who has a protected characteristic.

Perceptive discrimination – where an individual is directly discriminated against or harassed based on a perception that he/she/they has a particular protected characteristic.

Third-party harassment – when a client is harassed by third parties and the harassment is related to a protected characteristic and the Board of Trustees has failed to take action.

Victimisation – where a client is subject to a detriment because he/she/they has made or supported a complaint or raised a grievance, or because he/she/they is suspected of doing so.

Failure to make reasonable adjustments – where a physical feature or a provision, criterion or practice puts a disabled person at a substantial disadvantage compared with someone who does not have that protected characteristic and the Board of Trustees has failed to make reasonable adjustments to enable the disabled person to overcome the disadvantage.

Conduct

People will be treated with dignity and respect regardless of race, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, disability and/or age.

At all times feelings will be valued and respected. Language or humour that people find offensive will not be used, examples include sexist or racist jokes or terminology which is derogatory to someone with a disability.

No one will be harassed, abused or intimidated on the ground of their race, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, disability or age. Incidents of harassment will be taken seriously.

Responsibilities

EWFF's trustees are responsible for communicating and promoting this policy

All trustees, committee members and volunteers will be made aware of the policy and share the responsibility for ensuring that the policy is promoted and implemented fairly and effectively.

In addition, if any trustee, committee member or volunteer considers that they are the subject of, or witnesses, unequal treatment, a complaint may be made through the agreed procedures for dealing with grievances.

Edinburgh, June 2024