Complaints offices

What to do in the event of discrimination, sexual harassment or disadvantage?

The special nature of artistic training, with its large proportion of individual and small group lessons and personal dependence on the teacher, requires sensitive interaction with one another.
The University of Music and Drama attaches great importance to ensuring that staff, students and guests treat each other fairly and respectfully.

In addition to other measures, an anti-discrimination guideline(link German / link English) for protection against disadvantage, discrimination, sexual harassment and violence was adopted by the University Senate in August 2015. Violations of this policy can be prosecuted and punished by the university management. The complaints offices named in the anti-discrimination guidelines ensure that the anonymity of those involved is maintained.

Who to contact in the event of an incident?

The anti-discrimination guideline names several complaints offices. In addition to superiors and the university management, these are

• the Council of Confidence: vertrauensrat@hfmt-hamburg.de
• the Equal Opportunities Officer: gleichstellung@hfmt-hamburg.de
• the Inclusion Officer: inklusion@hfmt-hamburg.de
• the ASTA: asta@hfmt-hamburg.de
• the Staff Council: personalrat@hfmt-hamburg.de

Further contact points are

• Psychological student counseling at the University of Hamburg: Link
• Hotline for sensitive issues: initial telephone counseling for HfMT students
• Tel: 01590 10 75 206, office hours: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 2-4 p.m.
• Commission for dealing with the past: kommission-adv[at] hfmt-hamburg.de
• Diversity steering group: diversity[at]hfmt-hamburg.de

You can also find further complaints offices and advice services, including contact persons, on our website here: https://www.hfmt-hamburg.de/die-hfmt/gremien-und-beratungsangebote/

Where do discrimination and harassment begin?

Even derogatory language, an inappropriate compliment, unwanted proximity or touching can be perceived as harassment or discrimination.
In art classes, however, touching is sometimes unavoidable. It is therefore important to always ask whether a lecturer, for example, is allowed to touch a student before doing so.

Last but not least:

All members and affiliates of the university are called upon to ensure that disadvantages, discrimination or sexual harassment and violence are not practiced or tolerated at their place of work or study.