Contact Office for cases of discrimination and abuse of power
Working together to ensure equal opportunities and an inclusive campus culture
Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf is actively working to achieve a discrimination-sensitive and respectful university culture. By establishing a Contact Office for cases of discrimination and abuse of power, HHU has created a hub to promote an inclusive and safe environment for studies, research and work.
The Office is based at the Heine-Center for Sustainable Development (HCSD) and serves as a central point of contact for all HHU members who have experienced discrimination and/or abuse of power. It also develops prevention and awareness-raising measures in collaboration with other key stakeholders.
Services offered for all HHU members
- Initial and referral counselling sessions
- Free, confidential discussions on a voluntary basis
- Support in putting experienced situations into context
- Highlighting of options for action
Central external legal advice service for individuals affected by abuses of power
In the course of the joint declaration of commitment made by the universities in North Rhine-Westphalia with regard to dealing with abuses of power in academia, a central external legal advice service has been established as a point of contact for individuals affected by abuses of power.
The offering is aimed at:
- All members of public universities (students and employees) and employees of university hospitals
- Internal university contact points for support and advice (e.g. equal opportunities and anti-discrimination officers, General Student’s Committee (AStA) advice services, etc.)
Key points of the offering include:
- Confidential, independent and – on request – anonymous legal advice (no legal representation, no client relationship, no legal examination of facts)
- Clarification of rights, obligations, potential complaint procedures (e.g. complaint procedures under the General Act on Equal Treatment (Allgemeines Gleichbehandlungsgesetz – AGG) or disciplinary complaints) and their consequences, e.g. in the framework of workshops or training seminars
- Orientation to further internal and external points of contact
- Support in particular when internal advice/support offerings are no longer adequate or there is a lack of trust in such offerings
The legal advice service thus sees itself as a supplementary instance, which does not replace internal university structures but rather takes over at the point where these internal offerings reach their limits.
Lawyer Martina Lörsch and her colleagues offer independent, initial legal advice sessions across all universities. They support affected individuals and internal university entities in placing incidents into a legal context and answer questions about potential reporting and complaint channels.
Contact:
Tel.: +49 221 973128-53
E-mail: info(at)rechtsberatung-machtmissbrauch.nrw
Further information : www.rechtsberatung-machtmissbrauch.nrw (under construction, currently German only)
The Contact Office ensures absolute confidentiality. Individuals seeking advice are free to decide which information they wish to share and further steps will only be taken in agreement with these individuals.
How and who can I contact?
kontaktstelle(at)hhu.de
+4921181-14700
Personal discussions can be held by telephone, on a face-to-face basis or via video call, subject to agreement.
Laura Schlachzig (she/her) runs the Contact Office. E-mails received by the Contact Office will only be read and handled by her.