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STATE FUNDING

Counseling Center for Protection against Discrimination and Sexualized Violence

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The graphic shows the silhouettes of several women's heads in the different colors and sizes. © Anna Spoka​/​AdobeStock

Within the “Future Fund” (Zukunftsfonds), the State of North Rhine-Westphalia is providing funds of around €300,000 for three years for the establishment of a central counseling center at TU Dortmund University for protection against discrimination and sexualized violence. The center’s aim is to advise those affected and to contribute to creating a climate across the whole university that is sensitive to discrimination – both in the workplace and for students.

In March 2022, TU Dortmund University adopted Guidelines on Protection against Discrimination and Sexualized Violence, with which it aims to proactively support anti-discrimination work. In it, the university pledges to relentlessly track down discrimination and sexualized violence and to sanction them within the scope of its real and legal possibilities. It also wants to draw attention and sharpen awareness towards both problems. The new center’s task will therefore be counseling, training and awareness-raising for all university members.

Activities are broad-based, and it will be one of only a few central counseling centers of this kind at universities nationwide. On the one hand, the center will advise persons affected by various forms of discrimination. To raise awareness of discrimination and sexualized violence in the workplace and among students, it will also work closely with administration and the departments so that, for example, the risk of discrimination in curricula and courses, information and communication technology or in building infrastructure can be reduced.

Culture of diversity

The Staff Unit Equal Opportunities, Family and Diversity will host the central counseling center. “This integrates it effectively into the university’s existing diversity work in terms of content. We are also keen to exchange ideas and work together with equivalent centers within the University Alliance Ruhr and nationwide,” explains Albrecht Ehlers, Chancellor of TU Dortmund University. “Apart from supporting those affected, we especially wish to make awareness towards discrimination and sexualized violence part of a mainstream process and thus to further strengthen the culture of diversity at TU Dortmund University.”

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