Resource Center for Abuse of Power, Discrimination, Sexual Violence, and Harassment

Discrimination manifests itself in various ways in academic and professional life. While racist, social, and ableist humiliation occur regularly, sexual violence remains the most widespread form of discrimination. Figures from the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency, based on a survey of victims of discrimination at universities, show just how diverse forms of harassment can be: “Focus on sexual orientation (41.4%), racism (39%), appearance (38.1%), being female (32.1%), and being trans* (27.3%).”
Anyone can be affected by discrimination (students, staff, etc.), and discrimination is perpetrated by both faculty members (43.2%) and fellow students (56.2%).
Contrary to popular belief, very few cases of harassment are reported: 40% of incidents of discrimination are ignored, 27.4% are addressed, and only 7.5% result in a formal complaint.

More information from TU Dortmund University is available on the website of the Office for Equal Opportunity.

More general information can be found on the website of the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency.

The source of the cited figures can be found in the report to the Bundestag: Discrimination in Germany, 2017.

Sexual discrimination and violence manifest themselves in a wide range of verbal and/or nonverbal behaviors, including words, images, facial expressions, gestures, and actions. What all these behaviors have in common is that they have a sexual or sexually suggestive connotation that is initiated unilaterally by one person and perceived by the other person as unpleasant, inappropriate, intrusive, hurtful, or degrading. Whether a person perceives something as unwanted or inappropriate varies from person to person. This perception requires no justification; treating one another with respect includes respecting the boundaries of the other person. Sexualized discrimination and violence are actions for which the perpetrator alone bears responsibility.

_{We compiled this informational text with the help of bukof.de/online-handreichung-sdg.}

Below you will find various documents that may be helpful to you.
The book *Grauzonen gibt es nicht*(There Are No Gray Areas), published in 2020, lists the different types of sexual assault and the various contexts in which they can occur. It can help witnesses, victims, and even perpetrators become more aware and recognize discriminatory situations for what they are.
TU Dortmund University and its Office for Gender Equality have developed guidelines to support the advancement of gender equality and combat gender-based discrimination. You can also find these below.

We would also like to draw your attention to the SchuDS, TU Dortmund University’s Central Counseling Center for Protection Against Discrimination and Sexualized Violence. It serves as the central point of contact for anyone who experiences or witnesses discrimination or sexualized violence—or even just has questions on the topic. The SchuDS is available to all members and affiliates of TU Dortmund University—including students, faculty, and staff—as well as anyone who, with the knowledge and consent of TU Dortmund University, is temporarily and/or permanently on campus in connection with the university’s core missions.

To make it easier to get in touch, we have set up an email address for the help desk; please don’t hesitate to contact us there: anlaufstelle.musik.fk16@tu-dortmund.de – please also note that you can use our contact form to reach out completely anonymously.