violence against black women in the workplace

 

July 2023

In response to the recent reports of sexual abuse and misconduct by Sir David Adjaye, Black Females In Architecture would like to extend our heartfelt sympathies to the women who have been directly affected. We recognise and commend the bravery it takes to speak out on such painful experiences. We do not condone Adjaye’s actions and believe his abuse of power over his employees is sadly one example of an inherent problem present, but not highlighted enough in the architecture industry.

Statistics held by the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) show that those in the Black or Black British and Mixed ethnic groups were significantly more likely to experience sexual violence. There is also anecdotal evidence that suggests that Black Women are least likely to be heard/ believed when reporting sexual abuse.

Our hope going forward is that the issue of sexual abuse towards women especially those who are marginalised will be taken a lot more seriously and with the appropriate legal actions taken.
Covert and outright sexism and racism in the workplace have been rife for so long that such behaviours have been normalised, gone unnoticed, are actively ignored and therefore go unpunished. 

BFA exists as a community to give voice to the injustices that
Black Women often face. We will continue to provide support to members of our community and advocate beyond the BFA network against systemic oppression in our society. We recognise that the issue of sexual and gender-related abuse is complex, involving (but not limited to) existing company structures, lack of pastoral care and bad leadership.

For this reason, BFA would like to partner with UK and global organisations that provide specialised support for women affected by work related abuse and hope to work together to further safeguard our community. 

If you have been affected by issues raised in recent news please know that we are here to support you in any way we can.