Investigation finds Nordic Game likely violated discrimination law

gamesindustry.biz:

Nordic Game today released the results of an investigation into sexual harassment allegations against two staffers, with the external firm hired to look into the matter saying the event organizer has likely violated the Swedish Discrimination Act.

In a summary of the investigation's findings, that external firm Gender Balance said it corroborated five accounts of sexual misconduct against a Nordic Game employee who had left the company by the time the investigation started.

However, it said it could not find supporting evidence for three more accusations made against a current Nordic Game employee by three different women.

The investigators described the evidence against the first man as "overwhelming," with witnesses and screen captures of chat messages backing up allegations that he made "persistent and unwelcome comments or messages of intimate or sexual nature" and "intrusive and obviously violating physical touching of a sexual nature."

He also continued to send such messages even after the recipient "clearly and repeatedly protested against it."

Most of the women who were wronged by the first man were "in a position of personal or professional dependence" to him.

The investigators did not interview the first man about the allegations, but based on his previous communications they determined he would likely deny the misconduct if asked.

Gender Balance did not detail any of the allegations against the second man who remains employed at Nordic Game. It did say the allegations involved "in-person misconduct that would have taken place several years ago, leaving few or no potential witnesses with clear recollections of the events," adding, "There [has] been no or very little textual evidence."

The second man