Sexual Harassment & Discrimination
Confidential Initial Consultation
A team of qualified advisors, both within and outside of the university, is available to help you assess the situation you have experienced without any pressure to take action and to inform you about potential next steps. How you choose to address what you have experienced is entirely up to you. We take you seriously and are here to provide guidance and support.
Even if you are unsure whether a behavior constitutes sexual harassment, you can confidentially discuss your experiences with one of the advisors.
Sexualized Harassment, Discrimination and Violence on Campus?
It is often difficult for us to accept that our personal environment could also be affected by sexualized discrimination, harassment and violence. Nevertheless, both international studies and the experiences of the staff of the Equal Opportunity Office show that universities as places of work and study are also an environment in which sexualized assaults take place.
For example, a study conducted at 46 European universities ( Lipinsky, Schredl, Baumann, Humbert & Tanwar, 2022) reports that almost two out of three students and employees surveyed have experienced at least one form of gender-based violence since starting their studies or employment. The term "violence" in this case refers to physical and sexual assault, incidents of sexual harassment, the use of psychological or economic violence, and violence in the digital space, with psychological violence and sexual harassment being the most frequently reported forms.
As the study also shows, gender-based violence can affect people of any gender. However, it is predominantly perpetrated by men against FLINTA* (German acronym that stands for all genders facing structural discrimination in society) and in this sense often reproduces the patriarchal power structures in which cis men are structurally favored over all other genders.
At universities, the pronounced hierarchies and dependency relationships can lead to subtle forms of sexualized harassment and violence. In addition to the general tabooing of the topic, these power relations make it even more difficult for those affected to defend themselves against the attacks.
Author Sara Hassan confirms this in an interview: "It stops being harmless as soon as power is involved. [...] So it's about situations in which hierarchies, dependencies and power relations prevail" (original: "Es hört auf, harmlos zu sein, sobald Macht im Spiel ist. […] Es geht also um Situationen, in denen Hierarchien, Abhängigkeiten und Machtverhältnisse herrschen"). In her book " Grauzonen gibt es nicht - Muster sexueller Belästigung mit dem Red-Flag-System erkennen" (Open Access), which she co-authored with Juliette Sanchez-Lambert and published in German in 2020, the authors develop a 'Red Flag System'. This alarm system is intended to help those affected to recognize sexual harassment at an early stage - even in so-called "grey areas" and taking into account the overall context. The 'Red Flag System' is intended to provide those affected with an evaluation tool that not only allows them to recognize sexual harassment, but also helps them to know their boundaries, (re)gain confidence in their judgment and thus empower them.
Our aim is to counteract both the trivialization and the tabooing of sexualized discrimination, harassment and violence.
Dr.in Sabine Jösting (she/her)
Annkatrin Kalas, M.A. (she/her)
Phone: +49 541 969-4520
Guideline of Osnabrück University
"In accordance with this guideline, behaviour and actions are considered sexualized discrimination, harassment and violence if the purpose or effect of the unwanted, sexually determined behaviour is to violate the dignity of the person concerned, in particular if an environment characterized by intimidation, hostility, humiliation, degradation or insults is created."
With the adoption of the Guidelines on sexualized discrimination, harassment and violence (PDF, 174 kB), Osnabrück University makes it clear that sexualized discrimination, harassment and violence will not be tolerated under any circumstances and will be sanctioned accordingly. The scope of the policy includes all members, affiliates and visitors to university facilities and events. In addition to a definition of terms, the policy also contains a specific complaints procedure in the event of harassment.
Please note that the English translation of the guidelines is for information purposes only and it is the original Richtlinie gegen sexualisierte Diskriminierung, Belästigung und Gewalt (PDF, 139 kB) is legally binding.
External Consultants
In addition to the advisors at the university, there is also the option of seeking external advice. The external counselors are also bound to confidentiality:
Antonius Geers
Certified social pedagogue at profamilia
osnabrueck@profamilia.de
Phone: +49 541 23907
Sybille Singer-Wilking and Olga Barbje
Counselors at the Frauenennotruf and the Frauenberatungsstelle
sexuelle.belaestigung@uni-osnabrueck.de
Phone: +49 160 90209837