They are associations of members who have shared some characteristic or some perspective. It's an opportunity for them to share their experiences. A sharing of experience might help them come to grips with or cope with the stresses of the job. It might also offer them some insight and job enrichment or job enhancement opportunities, promotions, special assignments.
It's also an opportunity, though, to just socialize, build those kinds of informal networks that we all know help an organization run smoothly. During those conversations and those activities, there may be opportunities for members of the service to express concerns about how they're dealing with co-workers or their supervisors. They're another forum where members can seek some support from people who share characteristics or perspectives, give them a little safe and secure place to have a conversation without necessarily formalizing a complaint or elevating it in some official way.
As you know, Ms. Sgro, the service does expect members to report misconduct, and so it's not a forum where people can avoid taking direct responsibility or action, but it is an opportunity for members to engage in those informal support kinds of conversations that might help them make decisions about how they want to proceed if they have a concern about harassment in the workplace. It's another safe environment.