Protection from Discrimination and Abuse of Power

Annette Joggerst is the new anti-discrimination contact person at the University of Freiburg

Ms Joggerst, you have been the anti-discrimination contact person at the University of Freiburg since July. Who can turn to you – and why?

Annette Joggerst: Members of the University of Freiburg community can come to me when they think they have experienced discrimination or abuse of power personally. I’ve already given a male colleague professional advice about what he needs to be aware of as he leads a diverse team. He was concerned his behaviour might be racist. Beyond that, I also visit teams and advise them about diversity and language sensitised to discrimination.

What are your personal experiences with the issue?

In 2002, I began working in a socially deprived area in Waldkirch. Of course, there was discrimination taking place there. But it is wasn’t being addressed the way it is today. That intensified only after the General Act on Equal Treatment (“Allgemeine Gleichbehandlungsgesetz” (AGG)) came into effect starting from 2006. I came into direct contact via a project dedicated to intercultural openness at Pro Familia. During the programme, I worked in many mosques and refugee hostels and noticed discrimination is always an issue. It infuriates me that people – because of their origins or other characteristics – experience hostility, harassment, and violence in their daily lives and that their participation in social life is limited as a result. That’s why I qualified in counselling through training in 2017 at the Anti-discrimination Association of Germany (Antidiskriminierungsverband Deutschland (ADVD)) and have since then been providing advice on the issue.

How would you define discrimination?

It’s when people are disadvantaged and this is related to a specific characteristic. The General Act on Equal Treatment (AGG) names six characteristics: age, disability, gender, ethnic origin, sexual identity, and religion or belief. People can also be disadvantaged due to other characteristics as well, such as their nationality or health. Discrimination can take place consciously or unconsciously and can lead to exclusion and also to a violation of a person’s dignity, through insults, for example. Discrimination can have psychological consequences for those affected by it. But it can also mean disadvantages in daily life, such as during education or at work, or when someone wants to rent an apartment and is denied a lease because of their surname or skin colour.

What does university structure mean for your work?

I’ve never worked for such a big organisation before. I’m going to need to become acquainted with some of the structures first… But up to now I’ve had the impression many people here are supportive on this issue, including in the university administration. There is already a great deal of commitment to diversity – the more diverse an organisation is, however, the more potential there is for discrimination to take place. Then you need a concept and contact people. In terms of my own role, it’s helpful that I am not bound by instructions and can also offer confidentiality in my counselling work. I think the art of it will be finding accessible paths and bringing people along – while at the same time keeping an eye on the fact discrimination and abuse of power are serious issues that can enter into the realm of labour and criminal law.

Are there topics specific to a university regarding discrimination and abuse of power?

Basically, discrimination issues at universities are the same as those in civil society… What’s specific for universities is most certainly relationships of strong dependency, especially in academic careers, which bring an increased risk of abuse of power along with them. The University of Freiburg is also approaching this issue structurally, for example, by developing leadership guidelines or the compass for good mentoring. At the same time, it’s important those impacted by abuse of power have a place they can go. That’s why I don’t offer only anti-discrimination advice. I provide counselling in cases of abuse of power as well. And for doctoral students there has additionally been conflict resolution advice and also ombuds-people for quite some time. I work closely together with these offices.

What are your most important goals for the near future?

I’m developing a concept for how the university should handle complaints of discrimination and abuse of power. There are some places within the university also, which are already providing advice on discrimination, such as the Representative for Students with Disabilities or Chronic Illnesses or the contact person in cases of sexual harassment and stalking. We would like to further improve how we network with each other. The new concept would provide for a two-stage process. The first stage is at the level of advice and consultation. And then it moves to the second stage when formal discrimination, or AGG, complaints or other official measures are required. There is to be a university-wide directive for a clear, transparent procedure and time frame. Furthermore, I’d like to get my counselling work up and running more. I’ve just started with that. And finally, I’d like to offer training courses aimed at prevention. I think there are now generations of students at the university for whom the issue is simply a matter of course and who also demand consciousness of it.

When an affected person turns to you as the anti-discrimination contact person – what are you able to do, in tangible terms?

Together with the person, we look at which steps we can take. Does the individual need personal empowerment in order to better deal with the situation, or is a mediation talk necessary, or even a formal AGG complaint? Of course, I can also advise the person to contact a solicitor. And I can provide contacts to agencies that provide expert advice as well. There aren’t any prerequisites for coming to me. You can also do it if you’re not sure yourself if you’ve experienced discrimination or abuse of power. We’ll then take a look at things together.