Anti-harassment contact persons at Hivpoint 

Page last reviewed 18.9.2025

Preventing and intervening in harassment at Hivpoint 

We want Hivpoint to be a safer place for everyone who uses our services or takes part in our activities. It is important to us that no one experiences discrimination, harassment, racism or other inappropriate treatment at Hivpoint.   

Hivpoint has two (2) anti-harassment contact persons. The anti-harassment contact persons are Laura Keskinen (Hivpoint employee) and Jukka Hietalahti (a member of HIV Foundation’s board).

You can reach the anti-harassment contact persons by email, hairinta@hivpoint.fi.  

In cases of harassment, you can also always contact Hivpoint’s Executive Director Vilma Pietilä, vilma.pietila@hivpoint.fi. 

The main purpose of the anti-harassment contact person is to prevent and stop harassing, discriminatory, racist or offensive behavior and to support those who have encountered harassment or other inappropriate behavior. The anti-harassment contact persons act based on Hivpoint’s principles of creating a safer space. 

Anti-harassment contact persons provide help and support when you have encountered harassment, bullying, discrimination or other inappropriate treatment during Hivpoint’s service or activities. You can also contact the anti-harassment contact person if you have witnessed harassment or other inappropriate treatment but have not been the target of it yourself. The contacts are completely confidential, and the anti-harassment contact persons have a duty of confidentiality. However, to ensure more sustainable operations, Hivpoint’s harassment contact persons can work as a team and consult each other.   

Harassment contact persons do not act as judges in situations or hand out punishments but offer help and advice on how to deal with the situation and support the person who has experienced harassment. They can also refer the person who has experienced harassment to other support or services. The harassment contact persons proceed with the matter at the request of the person contacting them, i.e. they will only take the matter forward if the person contacting them so wishes. 

What is harassment?    

Harassment is unwanted behaviour that violates a person’s mental or physical integrity. Harassment can be sexual, gender-related or related to another characteristic of a person. Harassment is behaviour that violates a person’s human dignity and makes the atmosphere and environment degrading, humiliating or threatening. Harassment can also include microaggressions, which are typically hard-to-detect or intentional or unintentional insults.  It is good to be aware that harassment (or inappropriate behaviour) is not always intentional. For example comments intended as a joke can be offensive.  

In the above-mentioned cases, harassment may include, for example: 

  • name-calling 
  • bullying 
  • deliberate misgendering 
  • insulting jokes 
  • unwanted touching 
  • sexually suggestive gestures, facial expressions, speech, jokes or suggestions. 
  • intimate remarks or questions about your body, clothing or private life 
  • nasty comments or derogatory speech 
  • unintentionally offensive comments