Over the past few months, I have been dealing with the Labour party’s newly introduced sexual harassment complaints procedure. It didn’t exist when I first made a complaint in December 2015. I complained that I was sexually assaulted by Kelvin Hopkins – a Labour member of parliament in November 2014, when I was guiding him to the car park of my university. I also complained I was then sexually harassed by him through repeated phone calls and texts. Hopkins, who has been suspended from the party, admits texting me but has said he “absolutely and categorically” denies any inappropriate conduct.
It took me a while to decide whether to take the matter further but eventually I got the courage to report it to the party. It was only then that I realised there was no clear information available from the party for members who face harassment by an MP. Nevertheless, I was put in touch with the then chief whip, Rosie Winterton, who agreed to reprimand the MP involved, which she did, but the party then took no further action.
It seems baffling that the Labour party did not have a proper system in place at that time – particularly after the SWP scandal and Lord Rennard in the Liberal Democrats. But following the introduction of the Labour party’s sexual harassment complaints policy in November 2017, I decided to make a formal complaint again. My experience with this new system has been very disappointing to say the least. It was only through the media that I found out about the development of my case. There is still no final decision, and the party tends to be easily swayed by what’s reported in the media.
After going through almost the entire process relying on pro-bono legal advice, the party appointed and paid for a legal counsel for me at the national constitutional committee hearing, after Kelvin Hopkins had been found guilty by the national executive committee. It is hard to be confident that a Labour-appointed representative can truly be acting independently.
In March 2017, the Labour party updated me about my case, stating that there will be an opportunity for the accused to ask the complainant questions. This shocked me, so I asked for clarification. They responded by stating that the accused would have an opportunity to ask questions to the complainant via an audio link. It was an admission that outraged both Labour MPs and activists. No victim should have to face questioning from their alleged assailant. As a result of the subsequent media attention, the Labour party changed its stance, saying that there will not be direct communication between the parties and the questions will be put forward by a legal counsel. It seems like a policy being made up on the fly.
The NCC hearing stage is constructed in a completely inaccessible way for victims of sexual harassment. The Labour party continues to insist that Kelvin Hopkins is in the same building as me during the hearing due to “cost and logistical objections”, which I do not believe stand up to scrutiny. The way the hearing is put together seems to actively discourage the victim from taking part, and it feels as if it is designed that way.
It’s clear that the party’s systems are fundamentally flawed. That’s why Labour needs an independent complaints procedure to deal with sexual harassment complaints, and why I’ve started a petition in partnership with LabourToo to call on Jeremy Corbyn and the general secretary of the Labour party, Jennie Formby, to introduce one. If they listen, I hope that nobody will need to undergo the same ordeal as I have in the two and a half years since my assault.
• Ava Etemadzadeh is treasurer of the Young Fabians and former chair of Essex Labour Students
