Cannes Lions faces calls to step up action on sexual harassment

A  petition calling for Cannes Lions to clamp down on sexual harassment has attracted almost 500 signatures.

Hosted on Change.org, the petition was launched on Tuesday (June 24) by Emily Roberts, co-founder of the Women in Programmatic Network. It calls on Cannes Lions to:

• Strengthen and publicise its code of conduct to clearly define unacceptable behaviour and consequences.
• Provide visible, accessible support resources on-site, including safe spaces and trained personnel.
• Implement mandatory training for staff, volunteers, and partners on harassment prevention and response.
• Establish confidential, trauma-informed reporting mechanisms that protect those who come forward.

“By taking these steps, Cannes Lions can set a global standard for safety and accountability in the creative industry. Let’s work together to make Cannes Lions a place where creativity thrives – and everyone feels safe,” the petition concludes.

Roberts told Campaign she was motivated to start the petition because she claimed that sexual harassment was “pretty rife” at the festival which took place last week.

Also, a Linkedin post by Mike Brooks, global head of business development and partnerships at LG Ad Solutions, claiming he “heard” “way too much sexual harassment and objectification of women’s bodies” at Cannes garnered more than 1500 supportive reactions.

This year Cannes Lions set up safe zones following claims of harassment last year. The organisers said they would be open from 8:30am to 6:30am for the duration of the week-long festival. However, Roberts claimed they were shut for two days. Campaign staff saw one unit shut on two different days, although the length of that closure was not known.

Roberts said English-speaking women using the safe zones had found themselves unable to communicate with the staff on some occasions.

Asked how much Cannes Lions could be held responsible for behaviour outside of the Palais and of non-passholders, Roberts said: “I would argue that people would not go to Cannes that week unless Cannes Lions had put on their event. They are actually responsible for the things that happen on the beaches and the boats as they take money from them.”

She called for contracts between Cannes Lions and the organisers of beaches and yachts to be strengthened to make them accountable for preventing, dealing with and reporting sexual harassment.

Louise Watson, associate director at Propeller Group, who set up the Empower Café with DCM chief executive and Wacl president Karen Stacey, said women had sought refuge in the space and used it to report harassment.

“It became a space where a lot of women were coming to report issues that were going on, even though that wasn’t obviously the purpose of the space in the first place.”

She added: “This is a bigger story about male behaviour in our industry and I think there’s some stuff that Lions has got control over and some they don’t.”

Frank Starling, the chief DEI officer at Lions, said: “Lions is committed to strengthening and evolving our safeguarding strategy. We will continue to build on the work we've implemented this year with the support of our Community Safeguarding Board and partners, with a focus on learnings and improved execution.

"Alongside listening to and acting on feedback from our communities, we will continue to help shape a cultural shift in the industry with a clear focus on preventing harassment and all forms of discrimination," he added.