How Can I Raise Awareness in My Surroundings?

Creating awareness is something that everyone can participate in - whether in teaching, in a circle of colleagues, among fellow students or in a management role. You can find resources for raising awareness against sexual harassment and other forms of sexualized discrimination and violence below.

It is good to educate new university members about policies and options for dealing with sexualized discrimination and violence.

The attitude of the Leuphana University Lüneburg is explained here, where all relevant documents can be found.

Here you can find out about current events related to gender equality: Netzwerk Geschlechter- und Diversitätsforschung,Gleichstellungsbüro-Webseite.

It is helpful to make materials on sexualized discrimination and violence visible in public places at the university and in offices where people meet frequently.

• Show willingness to be a first point of contact. To do this, create your own poster or let yourself be inspired by these examples: Vorlagen des us-amerikanischen National Sexualized Violence Resource Centers ("Your voice is powerful. Start the conversation")..
• Example for Info Posters (RAINN, USA) about the risk of male students to become affected by sexualized discrimination and violence.
• Campaign about rohypnol/roofies: Download posters etc. (Frauen- und Mädchenberatung bei sexueller Gewalt e.V. in Braunschweig)

Please help distribute quality content on this topic.

Here are some recommended brochures and online portals on sexualized discrimination and violence:

• Anti-Cyberstalking-Brochure from the Berlin Senate Department.
• Advice, action support, and process support during „Hate Storms“, HateAid gGmbH, Foundation House of Democracy and Human Rights, Berlin.
• Let’s Talk About It! A Transgender Survivor’s Guide to Accessing Therapy, brochure on the coping process after sexualized violence by the Forge organization.
• Stronger than violence, the Federal Government's campaign & information portal against violence against women.
• Stop violence and harassment: at the workplace and everywhere else, union ver.di  (information portal, brochures, guidelines for action, videos).
• Campaign "#unhatewomen" by Terre des Femmes: With a video "#unhatewomen: Es ist Zeit etwas zu verändern" [engl.: '#unhatewomen: It's time for change].

It is necessary to become aware of the characteristics of sexualized discrimination and violence. To gain certainty when dealing with inappropriate actions, it is necessary to be well-prepared.

• Information on the characteristics of sexualized violence can be found here.
• This English-language brochure contains a list of myths about sexualized discrimination and violence as well as arguments to counter these myths (from p. 65).
• You can find reaction and behavior tips for witnesses to discriminatory acts in the workplace in this brochure from the city of Vienna (from p. 11).

• November 2019 a study on perceptions and attitudes of the German population regarding sexism was published. It shows among other things how and where sexism is experienced.
• The most current German study on sexual harrassment at the workplace was published October 2019 by the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency.
• 2016 an interview study titled 'Young men and women as those affected by sexual harrassment in training and at the workplace' (Kammer für Arbeiter und Angestellte für Wien), was published. It includes long interview paragraphs, in which the affected (and others) talk about their experiences with violence, their reactions, their surroundings, and the ways they dealt with it.
• Here you can find studies, surveys, reports, legal expertise and guidelines compiled by the Federal Conference for Women and Gender Equality Officers at Universities (bukof-Kommission "Sexualized Discrimination and Violence").
• You can find more information in this research report: "Berliner Monitoring: Trans- und homophobe Gewalt" (by Albrecht Lüter, Sarah Riese und Almut Sülzle).
• Here you can find a resource collection in English for "advocates and educators" (i.e. multipliers), created by the U.S. National Sexualized Violence Resource Center.

You can also find reading suggestions in the ‘building blocks for workshops and lectures’ in the next section.

• Here you can download our building blocks for workshops and lectures.
• Short films of the campaign #ThatsHarassment by David Schwimmer, Sigal Avin and the organization RAINN in English with sample scenes of sexualized discrimination and violence at work, helpful e.g. as an impulse for discussion at workshops:
• "The Politician"
• "The Coworker"
• "The Boss"

You can use these tests for your lectures:

With our mini-quiz (5 statements on sexualized discrimination and violence) you can find out at which points you can deepen your knowledge of sexualized discrimination and violence.

Those with advanced knowledge can also try this interactive exercise, in which you get to know the signs of sexualized discrimination and violence or this test to check your knowledge on the contents of the entire webpage.

In order to raise awareness and to be well equipped for discussions on the subject, it is advisable to exchange ideas with others on a regular basis. There are, for example, the following groups, working groups, etc. in the Lüneburg area:

• QuARG: Queer, Awareness, Equal Rights und Gender Matters in the General Student Committee (AStA).
• Lüneburger Antidiskriminierungsberatungstelle diversu e.V.
• A number of actors around Leuphana University are planning to build a pool of awareness experts who will be present and active at Leuphana events and student events. Among other things, the goals are to raise awareness of discrimination, violent behavior or violence, to offer feedback options for the organizers, to develop expertise in the context of awareness workshops, to initiate an exchange with people who are already experienced, and to provide guidelines and an awareness concept. More information will be provided in the future. In the meantime you can get more information at this address: genderdiversity@leuphana.de.
• Queerfeministische Initiative Lüneburg

Campaigns, public performances and statements are currently being used to draw attention to the topic of sexualized discrimination and violence in many places:

• Example of a flash mob against violence against women: University of Osnabrück, Equal Opportunities Office, action on November 25, 2019
• Suggestions for dance performances against violence by One Billion Rising Deutschland
• There is inspiration for creating awareness via social media on this RAINN (USA) website in the section on "take action"
• Or: Write an article for your university newspaper

Click here to get back to the main page.

Examples for inappropriate actions, how to recognize and name sexualized discrimination and violence, information on consequences for the affected as well as regulations and guidelines are available at „What Is Sexualized Discrimination and Violence“.

The university’s stance on sexualized discrimination and violence, information on a preventative academic culture, and consequences in cases of inappropriate actions can be found here: "How Do We Cooperate at This University".

For information on support through the university, accounts of affected persons about their coping mechanisms, tips for taking action, and becoming sure and safe, please visit the page "What Can I Do If I am Personally Affected?".

You can find information on common defensive reactions and their consequences, helpful actions, how to keep a supportive attitude in a conversation, as well as information on self-care as a supporter on the following page: "How Can I Support Affected Persons?".