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Support & Complaints

Speak out against disrespectful speech and behavior!

Services Filing Complaints Emergencies External Resources

All university members – students, doctoral candidates, professors, administrative, support and academic staff, teaching staff – have the right to receive support if they experience unfair or disrespectful treatment, even if they are unsure whether it was a case of discrimination, sexualized harassment, bullying, or stalking. 

If you don’t know what to do or how to assess the situation, please contact one of the services at Freie Universität Berlin or outside the university. 

It’s often helpful to write down what happened before discussing it with someone: 

  • When and where did the incident happen?
  • What exactly happened?
  • What events led up to the incident?
  • What made you feel discriminated against, bullied, etc.?
  • Who was involved?
  • Were there any witnesses?

(Antidiscrimination) Advice and Support Services

It is entirely your choice whether you contact a support service. They are free of charge, and what you discuss is confidential in most cases. You may make use of additional internal or external services or seek legal assistance at any time. 

Are you a student or doctoral candidate at Freie Universität Berlin?
This includes, for example, bachelor’s students, master’s students, PhD students, exchange students, preparatory course students, or applicants
 Are you an employee at Freie Universität Berlin?
This includes, for example, professors, teaching staff, administrative staff members, research associates, student assistants, apprentices, or trainees 

Freie Universität currently only has limited structures specifically aimed at promoting antidiscrimination. One priority of the Diversity Strategy and Action Plan 2021–2023 is to establish comprehensive structures for advice and support and for managing complaints in relation to diversity and antidiscrimination. These structures will be laid out in an antidiscrimination statute. 

Filing Complaints at Freie Universität Berlin

You have the right to file a complaint if you experience discrimination, sexualized harassment, bullying, or stalking at Freie Universität. 

You do not have to consult with any services prior to filing a complaint, however, it can be helpful to do so and talk through the incident with someone. They can also provide you with support during the complaint procedure. 

It is not possible to remain anonymous when you file a complaint. However, the wishes of the complainant will be respected where possible, and it will be ensured that they will not suffer any negative consequences that might impact their personal or professional lives. You also have the right to be accompanied by someone you trust throughout the process. That person does not have to be a member of the university. 

You can file a complaint through the following offices (Please be sure to request a confirmation of receipt for your complaint): 

Students at Freie Universität Berlin

  • The vice dean for student affairs in your department
  • The Ombudsperson in the Berlin State Office for Equal Treatment and Against Discrimination (LADS): You can contact the Ombudsperson if you were discriminated against by the university (as a public institution of the State of Berlin) on the grounds of one of the categories in the state antidiscrimination law: gender, gender identity, ethnic origin, racist or antisemitic assumptions, language, religion, belief, disability, chronic illness, age, sexual orientation, and social status. Please note: This office does not handle instances of discrimination related to employment. More information on LADS.

Employees at Freie Universität Berlin

If you are currently directly affected by discrimination, sexualized harassment/violence, bullying, or stalking, have already reported it, but are not receiving any help (or the steps being taking are not enough to stop the behavior), you may leave work if you need to in order to protect yourself. Before you leave, you must inform Division I: Personnel. 

If you wish to file a complaint regarding academic misconduct, please contact the Office for Academic Integrity or the ombudsperson of your department.

When you file a formal complaint, the facts and circumstances surrounding the incident must be investigated without delay while respecting the rights of everyone involved. You have the right to be accompanied by someone you trust throughout the complaint process. That person does not have to be a member of the university. If the investigation confirms that misconduct occurred, there must be appropriate consequences. You should be informed promptly about the results of the investigation into your complaint and about any measures taken in. 

Emergency Support for Immediate Threats

If you are in immediate danger or a crime is being committed, call the police. The emergency number for the police in Germany is 110. Please inform the Office of the General Counsel as soon as possible after the incident (rechtsamt@fu-berlin.de).

If action needs to be taken quickly because someone is causing a significant disturbance, authorized individuals may ban people from the university premises. Here you can find a list of individuals who have the authority to issue a ban.

External Resources

The following external resources related to this topic might be helpful. Please note that we are not responsible for the content on external websites. 

Telephone counseling offers telephone counseling for people with worries, needs and crises:

Telephone counseling for all: 0800 111 0111 (German and English)
Jewish telephone counseling service: 0800 000 1642 (also in Hebrew)
Muslim telephone counseling service: 030 443509821(also in Arabic, Turkish, Urdu)

 

The diversity website is a work in progress, so your feedback or suggestions for content would be much appreciated: diversity@fu-berlin.de