Anti-Discrimination at the University of Bayreuth

General Equal Treatment Act

The General Equal Treatment Act (Allgemeines Gleichbehandlungsgesetz, AGG) provides comprehensive protection against discrimination “on the grounds of race or ethnic origin, gender, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation” (§ 1 AGG) in the area of working life. In addition to the work relationship itself, this also includes the areas of application, recruitment, promotion, working conditions, dismissal and professional training.

Go to the General Equal Treatment Act (English translation) on the website of the Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection

§ 61b of the Labour Court Act

The possibility of suing for compensation under § 15 of the General Equal Treatment Act is regulated in § 61b of the Labour Court Act (Arbeitsgerichtsgesetz, ArbGG). An action must be brought within three months of the claim being made in writing.

Go to § 61b of the Labour Court Act (German only) on the website of the Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection

Bavarian Higher Education Innovation Act

The Bavarian Higher Education Innovation Act (Bayerisches Hochschulinnovationsgesetz, BayHIG) embeds the protection against discrimination of all university members centrally in the general tasks of universities:

"Universities shall ensure equal opportunities for their members irrespective of gender, social, cultural or ethnic background, age, sexual identity, religion or belief, disability or chronic illness. " (§ 2 para. 5 sentence 1 BayHIG)

Go to the Bavarian Higher Education Act on the website of the Bavarian Government (in German)

Purpose and Contents of the Guidelines
  

Their purpose is

• to raise awareness of non-discrimination among all members of the university,
• establish measures to prevent discrimination and harassment; and
• to regulate the procedures for dealing with cases of discrimination and harassment.

They prohibit
discrimination (disadvantage) and harassment (behaviours violating a person's dignity) based on

• racist reasons or ethnic ascriptions
• gender and gender identity
• sexual identity
• religion or beliefs
• impairments classified as disabilities
• age.
  

They introduce

• positive measures to raise awareness, to prevent discrimination and harassment, and to promote equal opportunities for all university members,
  
• counselling structures for persons affected by discrimination or harassment, and
• a neutral complaints office and a formal complaints procedure.

Rights and obligations of all University members

"The University of Bayreuth does not tolerate discrimination or harassment by university members." (from the preamble)

"The University of Bayreuth encourages a culture of not looking away. University members are called upon to offer assistance to anyone affected by cases of discrimination or harassment that come to their attention and to support them in resolving conflicts." (from the preamble)

"All members and affiliates of the University, in particular those with training, qualification, or management duties in teaching, research, education, administration, or self-governance, shall be responsible within their own area of responsibility, by virtue of their duty of care, for ensuring that, in particular, sexual and racial harassment, discrimination, and violence are prevented or eliminated and legally reviewed." (§ 3 para. 2)

"Those affected are encouraged to exercise their rights and to report to the counselling and trust centres about experienced cases of harassment, discrimination, or violence, and to seek advice and make a complaint." (§ 4 para. 4)

Full text of the Antidiscrimination Guidelines

The Guidelines can be found in German and English on the webpage "Amtliche Bekanntmachungen der Universität Bayreuth" (Official Annoucements of the University of Bayreuth) under the heading "Richtlinie zum Schutz vor Diskriminierung und Belästigung":

Anti-Discrimination Guidelines (English translation)

Diversity Service Centre

The Diversity Service Centre provides information on

• advice and support services in cases of discrimination and harassment,
• the option of filing a formal complaint in cases of discrimination and harassment,
• the option of filing a complaint about a personal misconduct of a civil servant or public sector employee,
• options for conflict resolution.
  

Upon request, it advises on individual options for action and refers to other university services.

Contact
Diversity Service Centre

Advice and Support for Staff

Advice
The advice services listed below offer individual and confidential advice to professors and employees on options for action and protection:

• Representative for Occupational Integration Management
• Representative for Family-Friendly University
• External Conflict Advisors at the University of Bayreuth
• Women's Representative of the University (also Point of Trust)
• Women's Representatives of the Faculties (also Points of Trust)
• Equal Opportunities Commissioner for Non-Academic staff (also Point of Trust)
• Representative for Inclusion at the University of Bayreuth (also Point of Trust)
• Research Associates' Council
• Ombudspersons for Early-Career Scholars (also Point of Trust)
• Staff Council (also Point of Trust)
• Equal Opportunities Service Centre
• Ombudsperson for Severely Disabled Persons and Those with an Equivalent Status (also Point of Trust).

Support
Those counselling offices which are also points of trust offer to support and accompany affected persons in conciliation and mediation talks and in the complaint procedure.

Advice and Support for Students

Advice
The advice services listed below offer individual and confidential advice to students on options for action and protection:

• Faculty Officers for Teaching and Students
• Equal Opportunities Service Centre
• Ombudspersons for Early-Career Scholars (also Point of Trust)
• Representative for Family-Friendly University
• Representative for Students with Disabilities
• Women's Representative of the University (also Point of Trust)
• Women's Representatives of the Faculties (also Point of Trust)
• Student Advising Office
• Student Council Representatives
• Student Parliament Spokesperson for Social Affairs, Diversity and Health (also Point of Trust).

Support
Those counselling offices which are also points of trust can support and accompany affected persons in conciliation and mediation talks and in the complaint procedure.

External counselling centres and reporting portals

The counselling centres listed below offer free, qualified online and telephone counselling on discrimination, harassment and violence. The Reporting portals also listed serve to record and analyse collect and analyse such incidents.

B.U.D. Counselling, support, documentation for victims of right-wing violence
An independent point of contact for victims of right-wing, racist & anti-Semitic violence in Bavaria..

Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency
Initial legal assessment in case of discrimination and sexual harassment.

Reporting portal for anti-Muslim racism - I Report
In order to uniformly record and make visible anti-Muslim racism nationwide, CLAIM registers and documents anti-Muslim incidents via the reporting portal I Report.

Reporting portal for anti-Semitism
The nationwide portal serves to record anti-Semitic incidents. Counselling is offered upon request.

Sexual Abuse  Help Portal
The “Sexual Abuse Help” portal gives survivors, relatives and specialists quick access to help and advice. Anyone who is worried about a child or has questions about the issue can also find support here. A nationwide database guides users to suitable counselling centres, crisis services, psychotherapists or lawyers.

Violence against Women Support Hotline
confidential support for women in need.

Weisser Ring
WEISSER RING is the only nationwide active victim support organisation in Germany. We are independent from state funding and we are committed to help victims of crime. Services include a victims' helpline, personal helpdesks and online consulting.

B.U.D. Counselling, support, documentation for victims of right-wing violence
An independent point of contact for victims of right-wing, racist & anti-Semitic violence in Bavaria..

Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency
Initial legal assessment in case of discrimination and sexual harassment.

Sexual Abuse  Help Portal
The “Sexual Abuse Help” portal gives survivors, relatives and specialists quick access to help and advice. Anyone who is worried about a child or has questions about the issue can also find support here. A nationwide database guides users to suitable counselling centres, crisis services, psychotherapists or lawyers.

Violence against Women Support Hotline
confidential support for women in need.

Weisser Ring
WEISSER RING is the only nationwide active victim support organisation in Germany. We are independent from state funding and we are committed to help victims of crime. Services include a victims' helpline, personal helpdesks and online consulting.

Complaint procedure

The complaint procedure comprises the following steps:

• an investigation of the case ("What happened?"),
• a legal examination ("Are the criteria of discrimination or harassment met?")
• a written notification of the outcome, and
• measures to eliminate existing discrimination and to prevent future discrimination.

Complaints Office

These persons have been appointed for the function of the complaints office: 

Complaints about personal misconduct or unlawful or inappropriate administrative decisions

In addition to a complaint based on the General Equal Treatment Act and the Anti-Discrimination Guidelines of the University of Bayreuth, there are also the options for a complaint

• due to the personal misconduct of acivil servant or employees of the public service (Dienstaufsichtsbeschwerde),
  
• due to an unlawful or inappropriate administrative decision or measure (Fachaufsichtsbeschwerde).
  

Further information

• Descriptions of a complaint about personal misconduct and a complaint about an unlawful or inappropriate administrative decision or measure in the  service portal of the state of Baden-Württemberg (in German)
  
• A sample letter for a complaint about personal misconduct and instructions for its completion on the website of the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency.
  

Closed Complaint Proceedings

• Complaint #2021-01: Final decision on the complaint proceedings of 18 January 2021 (PDF document)
  

Presidential Advisory Committee for Equal Opportunities & Diversity

At the level of strategic governance, the University Governing Board is supported by the Presidential Advisory Committee for Equal Opportunities & Diversity, chaired by the Vice-President for Internationalisation, Equal Opportunities and Diversity.

The tasks of the Committee
include, according to § 23 of the University's Constitution:

• the improvement of equal opportunities,
• the reconciliation of family, studies and career,
• diversity management, and
• protection against discrimination and harassment.

Responsibilities in the field of anti-discrimination
The committee's responsibilities for the protection against discrimination and harassment are detailled in § 5 of the Anti-Discrimination Guidelines of the University of Bayreuth. They include:

• the (further) development of measures to promote equal treatment and anti-discrimination,
• the annual evaluation of awareness and prevention measures,
• the evaluation of the anonymised counselling and complaint cases,
• the annual report to the university management, the Senate and the Employees' Council on the effectiveness of the prevention strategy and measures.

A list of the members of the Presidential Advisory Committee for Equal Opportunities & Diversity can be found on the page "Organization" of the University of Bayreuth.

Anti-Discrimination Working Group

The working group was established as a permanent institution of the University of Bayreuth by its Anti-Discrimination Guidelines.

Its responsibilities include

• exchange on the status quo of equal treatment and discrimination at the University of Bayreuth,
• developing proposals for measures to eliminate and prevent discrimination,
• regular report to the Presidential Advisory Committee for Equal Opportunities & Diversity.

Members of the Working Group

• AK Queer (Queer Students' Working Group)
• becks
• Conflict Counselors
• Diversity Service Centre
• Employee's Council
• Equal Opportunities Department
• Equal Opportunities Officer for non-academic staff
• Family-Friendly University
• Gender and Diversity Office, Cluster of Excellence Africa Multiple
• HeForShe Bayreuth
• Ombudspersons for Early-Career Scholars
• Representative for Family-Friendly University
• Ombudsperson for Severely Disabled Persons and Those with an Equivalent Status
• Psychological Counselling (Studentenwerk Oberfranken)
• Representative for Students with Disabilities
• Research Associates' Council
• Representative for Integration Management
• Representatives of the Complaints Office
• Women's Representative of the University
• Social Counselling (Studentenwerk Oberfranken)
• GeQuInDi network
• Student Council.

Contact
Dr. Stefan Kurth, Diversity Service Centre.

Anti-Racism Committee

The Anti-Racism Committee was founded in 2020 by the Presidential Advisory Committee for Equal Opportunities & Diversity. It serves to promote a critical debate on racism and to develop anti-racist measures at the University of Bayreuth.

Activities of the Committee

• Information and Networking efforts
  
• Events on (anti-) racism for university members

Members of the Committee

• Prof. Dr. Stefan Ouma (Chair for Economic Geography
• Prof. Dr. Rüdiger Seesemann (Chair for Islamic Studies, Dean of Cluster of Excellence "Africa Multiple")
• Prof. Dr. Susan Arndt (Professorship of English Studies and Anglophone Literature, Co-Speaker of Network GeQuInDi)
• Dr. Christine Vogt-William (Director, Gender & Diversity Office of the Cluster of Excellence "Africa Multiple")
• Dr. Arnim Heinemann (Director of the International Office)
• Dr. Stefan Kurth (Head of Diversity Service Centre)
• Michelle Epps (Student, Member of the Management Board of Model African Union Bayreuth e.V.). 

Contact
Please get in touch with amember of your choice!