Our Foundation: Respect, Personal Boundaries & Responsible Behaviour
The International Eressos Women’s Festival is organised by Sappho Women as part of our wider mission to bring women together, celebrate women’s talents and creativity, and strengthen connection and community between women.
The festival brings together people from many different countries, generations, cultures and backgrounds. We want everyone attending or participating in festival events to be able to do so in an atmosphere of mutual respect and consideration.
We recognise that people may have different experiences, beliefs, opinions and ways of expressing themselves. Respectful disagreement is part of a diverse community, and differences of opinion, honest mistakes or differences in terminology do not in themselves constitute harassment.
What we do require is respectful behaviour. Harassment, intimidation, threats, verbal abuse, unwanted physical or sexual behaviour, persistent boundary violations and deliberate disruption of festival activities will not be tolerated.
By attending or participating in the International Eressos Women’s Festival, you agree to follow this Code of Conduct and any reasonable instructions given by festival staff, volunteers, facilitators and venue staff.
1. Participation & Respect for the Festival
The International Eressos Women’s Festival was created to bring women together and to promote women’s talents, creativity, achievements and connections.
Different parts of the festival programme have different access arrangements. Eligibility and access are governed by our Festival Access & Eligibility Policy and any criteria stated for an individual event or activity.
Everyone attending, participating in or working at festival events must treat participants, staff, volunteers, performers, facilitators, local residents and venue staff with dignity and respect.
Participants are not required to agree with one another on every subject. Respectful disagreement is permitted. Personal attacks, targeted hostility, bullying or deliberately provoking or humiliating another person are not.
2. Harassment & Personal Boundaries
Harassment and abusive behaviour are not permitted. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Threats, intimidation or coercion.
- Verbal abuse, targeted insults or slurs.
- Sexual harassment or sexually inappropriate behaviour.
- Unwanted physical contact.
- Persistent unwanted attention.
- Repeated disregard for clearly expressed personal boundaries.
- Following, confronting or targeting another participant after being asked to stop.
- Deliberately disrupting a workshop, performance, discussion or other festival activity.
Personal and physical boundaries must be respected. If someone tells you to stop an unwanted interaction, contact or behaviour, you must do so.
Some workshops may involve sensitive, personal or intimate subjects. Participants must respect the confidentiality, privacy and boundaries of others taking part and follow any additional guidance given by the facilitator.
3. Photography, Filming, Live-Streaming & Privacy
Photography and filming take place during many festival events, but the privacy of participants and the rights of performers must always be respected.
Unauthorised live-streaming or live broadcasting of festival performances, concerts, workshops, activities or other organised festival events is not permitted. This includes live-streaming to social media accounts, community pages, websites or other online platforms.
Any professional, commercial, media or organised recording or broadcast of a festival event requires prior permission from Sappho Women.
Performances, Concerts & Public Events
At concerts, performances and other public-facing festival events, audience members may take photographs for personal use unless otherwise stated by Sappho Women, the venue or the performer.
Video recording is only permitted where this has been allowed for the event or by the performer. Where video recording is permitted, it must remain limited and must not amount to recording an entire performance or substantial parts of it.
Please be considerate when publishing photographs or permitted video in which other audience members are clearly identifiable, particularly where an individual is the main subject rather than appearing incidentally in the background.
Alternative Fashion Show & Sensitive Performances
The Alternative Fashion Show and some other performances may involve costumes, partial nudity, intimate presentation or personal artistic expression. Additional photography or filming restrictions may therefore apply.
Audience members must respect any instructions given by Sappho Women, the show organisers or individual performers regarding photography and filming.
Photographs or recordings focusing on an identifiable performer in a state of partial nudity or during particularly intimate or sensitive elements of a performance must not be published or distributed publicly without that performer’s permission.
Workshops, Talks & Activities
Many workshops, discussions and activities involve personal, confidential or sensitive subjects. Photography, filming or audio recording may therefore be restricted or prohibited.
Participants must follow the instructions of the facilitator or festival staff. Where photography or recording is prohibited, this applies throughout the session.
Never photograph or record another participant as the main subject without their permission during a workshop or other non-public activity.
Official Festival Photography & Media
Sappho Women may appoint authorised photographers, videographers or media representatives to document particular festival events.
Official photography and filming will be undertaken in accordance with the arrangements for the event and, where appropriate, with the participating performers.
General crowd and atmosphere photography may take place at larger public events, and attendees may appear incidentally in such images or recordings.
Any event-specific photography or recording restrictions announced by Sappho Women, a performer, facilitator or venue must always be respected.
4. Responsible Behaviour
All attendees are expected to behave responsibly and with consideration for others.
You must:
- Follow reasonable instructions given by festival staff, volunteers, facilitators and venue staff.
- Respect event schedules, venue rules, registration procedures and capacity limits.
- Respect the purpose and access requirements of individual workshops, activities and events.
- Avoid aggressive, dangerous or deliberately disruptive behaviour.
- Respect the local community, businesses and residents of Skala Eressos.
- Comply with applicable Greek law.
Prohibited behaviour includes:
- Possession or use of illegal substances at festival venues.
- Bringing weapons or other items intended to threaten or harm others into festival venues.
- Deliberately damaging festival, venue or private property.
- Behaviour that creates an immediate and unreasonable risk to the safety of others.
- Repeated refusal to follow reasonable instructions from festival staff or facilitators.
5. Alcohol & Intoxication
Alcohol may be available at some festival events and venues. Attendees are responsible for their own consumption and behaviour.
Being under the influence of alcohol or any other substance does not excuse harassment, aggressive behaviour, unwanted contact, disruption or failure to respect another person’s boundaries.
Festival or venue staff may refuse entry or ask someone to leave if their level of intoxication makes their behaviour unsafe, seriously disruptive or inappropriate for the event.
6. Environmental Responsibility & Respect for Skala Eressos
Skala Eressos is not simply the setting for the festival; it is the community in which Sappho Women is based and with which our work is closely connected.
Please treat the village, beach, local residents, businesses and surrounding natural environment with care and consideration.
- Dispose of waste responsibly.
- Use recycling facilities where available.
- Do not litter on the beach, in the village or in surrounding natural areas.
- Respect wildlife and the natural environment.
- Conserve water where reasonably possible.
- Be considerate of local residents, particularly when leaving late-night events.
7. Accessibility & Consideration for Others
Some venues, streets and outdoor locations in Skala Eressos have uneven terrain or limited step-free access because of the traditional layout of the village.
We aim to provide clear accessibility information wherever possible and encourage participants with specific accessibility requirements to contact us in advance.
Please help by keeping entrances and pathways clear and by showing consideration to people who may require seating, additional space or easier access.
For accessibility enquiries, please contact us at contact@sapphowomen.org.
8. Children & Young People
Skala Eressos is an open village and families are welcome to visit during the festival period. The International Eressos Women’s Festival itself, however, is an adult programme and is not organised as a children’s or family festival.
We do not provide childcare, child supervision or a dedicated children’s programme.
Unless specifically stated otherwise, workshops, organised activities and excursions are intended for adults.
Where an individual event is open or suitable for children or young people, this will be stated in the programme.
Parents and guardians remain responsible for the supervision and behaviour of children in their care at all times.
9. Animals & Pets
Animals may be present in the village and at some outdoor festival locations.
- Owners are responsible for keeping their animals under proper control.
- Animals may not be permitted at particular venues or activities.
- Owners must clean up after their animals.
- Animals must not interfere with workshops, performances or other participants.
- Any instructions given by venue staff or festival staff regarding animals must be followed.
Please also respect any local rules or restrictions applying to animals on beaches and in public spaces.
10. Reporting a Concern or Incident
If you experience or witness behaviour that may seriously breach this Code of Conduct, please tell us.
- Speak to a member of festival staff or a volunteer.
- Visit or contact the Festival Office.
- If there is an immediate emergency or danger, call 112, the general emergency number in Greece.
Reports will be handled as discreetly as reasonably possible. We may need to speak with the people involved or with witnesses in order to understand what happened and decide what action, if any, is appropriate.
Making a report does not automatically mean that a violation has occurred. We will consider the circumstances and available information before deciding how to respond.
11. Consequences of Breaching the Code
Sappho Women may take appropriate action where this Code of Conduct, festival rules or reasonable staff instructions are seriously or repeatedly disregarded.
Depending on the circumstances, action may include:
- An informal conversation or request to change behaviour.
- A verbal or written warning.
- Removal from an individual workshop, activity, event or venue.
- Revocation of a festival wristband without refund.
- Refusal of participation in future editions of the festival.
- Contacting the police or other appropriate authorities where necessary.
The response will depend on the seriousness of the behaviour, the circumstances and whether problems have continued after a warning or instruction. Serious incidents may result in immediate removal without a prior warning.
12. Agreement to the Code of Conduct
By attending or participating in the International Eressos Women’s Festival, you agree to abide by this Code of Conduct, the applicable festival terms and conditions, the Festival Access & Eligibility Policy, and any access requirements applying to individual events or activities.
Our aim is straightforward: to maintain a festival environment in which personal boundaries are respected, people behave responsibly towards one another, and differences can exist without becoming harassment, intimidation or abuse.
The International Eressos Women’s Festival is delivered by Sappho Women Non-Profit (AMKE)
Skala Eressos 81105
Lesvos Island, Greece
Tel.: +30 22534 01004
Email: contact@sapphowomen.org
VAT registration EL800148580
Ministry of Culture registration 10112