Building Systematic Protection Against Discrimination at Universities

The Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency has released a new brochure with practical guidelines and ideas for implementing discrimination protection at institutions of higher education.

Unfortunately discrimination still happens at universities and other institutions of higher education. This has led these institutions to increasingly see themselves as responsible for protecting their students and employees from discrimination. Some questions that arise include: How can universities ensure both the prevention of discrimination as well as intervention in the case that it happens? What are the obligations of institutions of higher education based on the General Equal Treatment Law (Allgemeinen Gleichbehandlungsgesetz), and how can they best be fulfilled?

This brochure suggests 6 key elements for an anti-discrimination strategy. Some measures suggested in the text include surveys and monitoring; awareness raising, empowerment, and PR work; anti-discrimination counseling; and setting up offices for complaints. For each of the six elements, there are practical examples that show how anti-discrimination measures can be concretely implemented at institutions of higher education.

To learn more, take a look at the PDF of the brochure.