Information on sexualized discrimination and violence
All of the university’s members, affiliates, and visitors should have their personal rights respected at TH Köln. You can help to promote a university culture where every individual is valued.
What is sexualized discrimination and violence?
At TH Köln, sexualized discrimination and violence means a (personally perceived) transgression of boundaries which violates the dignity of the person affected. Sexuality or sexual behavior may be instrumentalized to demonstrate power and superiority, for example. Sexualized discrimination and violence are strictly prohibited at TH Köln and are taken very seriously.
What constitutes sexualized discrimination and violence?
For example:
- Discrimination on the grounds of gender identity or sexual orientation
- Jokes or remarks with sexual content
- Showing, distributing or publicly displaying pornographic material
- Sexually tinged gestures or behavior
- (Digital) contents, e.g. messages or posts in social networks with sexual innuendo
- Degrading use of language, e.g. degrading or insulting statements or assertions about a person or their body as well as remarks on physical qualities and weaknesses
- Intrusive invitations or similar behavior which are perceived as sexual advances by the person affected
- Following, stalking, repeatedly harassing, threatening or terrorizing a person
- Physical closeness or assault, including sexually suggestive and embarrassing touching against a person's will
- Proposing or engaging in non-consensual sexual activities
- Discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation
Sexualized discrimination and violence can also take other forms, however. If you are unsure whether you have been affected or have witnessed an incident, you can have an informal chat with the counseling services at TH Köln.
What to do if you have been harassed or affected in another way
You can contact the counseling services of TH Köln for an informal, confidential chat. They will give you more detailed information on how TH Köln can support you. After your chat, you can decide whether and to what extent you want to take further action. It is entirely your decision. The counseling services at TH Köln are under no obligation to take further steps.
If the incident occurred outside TH Köln or you would like to contact an independent agency, these external services may be an option for you:
Counseling and support services
- Gummersbach https://www.obk.de/cms200/kreis/edk/no/
- Köln https://www.stadt-koeln.de/leben-in-koeln/soziales/gleichstellung/beratung-und-hilfe
- Leverkusen https://www.leverkusen.de/leben-in-lev/frauen/haeusliche-gewalt.php#
Anonymous evidence collection after a sexual offense
- Gummersbach https://www.obk.de/cms200/gesundheit_soziales/gesundheit/ass/
- Köln https://www.stadt-koeln.de/leben-in-koeln/soziales/gleichstellung/beratung-und-hilfe
- Leverkusen https://www.frauennotruf-lev.de/files/file/ASSflyer2019web.pdf
In general, and especially at a place of work and study like TH Köln, people affected by sexualized discrimination and violence can be unsure about whether they have understood a situation correctly. Chatting with a person who is not directly involved can help you become more certain about your own perception and to appraise the situation fully. In some cases, it can be helpful to make it clear to the perpetrator, either verbally or in writing, that you feel you have been a victim of sexual discrimination or harassment. However, there are also many reasons to avoid confronting the perpetrator yourself. The counseling services can clarify how a confrontation could take place and who could do it. You may also find it helpful to write the situation down for yourself.
As cases of sexualized discrimination and violence and the contexts in which the people affected find themselves can be very different, there is no single right approach. If you would like support, the counseling services can help you to find your own way forward.
What to do if you have witnessed or learned of an incident
The right way to act if you have learned of a case of sexualized discrimination and violence depends on the incident itself, and on your relationship to the person affected. People affected by sexualized discrimination and violence often find the following approaches helpful.
- Believe what the person affected tells you and let them know you are taking their experiences seriously.
- Stay calm, even if the situation is urgent.
- Offer to help the person. If they are in danger, help to remove them from the dangerous situation if possible.
- Keep the incident confidential and be transparent about the next steps you are going to take; include the person in planning the steps.
- Document what you saw/heard and keep the documents safe. When doing so, separate your observations from reports by third parties and any assumptions or interpretations.
- Find out about the counseling services and support options and give this information to the person affected if it is of interest to them. But stay in contact with the person affected and do not simply “pass the buck.”
- Reach out for support, for example from a trusted person, the counseling services, a supervisor, or a psychological counseling service, in order to obtain information or to make use of the support options yourself if required.
If you are a supervisor or you are in a leadership role, please note the following:
- You are a point of contact for cases of sexualized discrimination and violence. However, please note that you cannot act independently in the way the counseling services do, and instead must act in accordance with the legal situation and uphold any responsibilities. Notify the person affected that you may be required to take further steps if you learn of an incident.
What to do if you think you have crossed a boundary
Reflect on your behavior and take responsibility for it. Apologize verbally or in writing to the person affected. Respect the boundaries and reaction of the person affected, even if they do not accept your apology, for example, or cut off all contact with you. Sexualized discrimination and violence can have consequences for the person affected that are not outwardly visible. Always bear this in mind.