Violence does not come to my campus!

This year, H-BRS is taking part in a nationwide campaign by colleges and universities in cooperation with the Studierendenwerk Bonn under the title “Gewalt kommt uns nicht auf den Campus” (Violence does not come on campus). This statement is written on the sandwich bags used by canteens and cafeterias for their baked goods during this time.

H-BRS is also taking its own initiatives. For example, the university management has asked managers to take part in face-to-face training on the topic of sexualized violence. This training will help them to react appropriately to such situations and promote a respectful, pleasant working environment. The training courses will take place on 21.11. and 22.11. It is still possible for managers to register at short notice.

In addition, the Equal Opportunities Office draws attention to a wide range of digital offers for further education for all university members. 

As part of the Orange Days, cis-women, trans-women and female-identified people were invited to report their experiences of violence in anonymized form. To this end, QR codes with relevant information were posted at various locations around the university. The aim was to publicly chalk up selected reports of experiences on 10.12.2024 (the last day of Orange Days) and make them temporarily public in order to raise awareness of the diversity of experiences of violence at the university and give victims a voice.

Ultimately, the response to our QR codes was so low that we had to abandon the planned chalking campaign. This can be interpreted positively; there may be few acute experiences of violence at H-BRS. At the same time, we would like to critically reflect on whether our approach (exclusively in German) and the chosen communication channels have reached all potentially affected persons. It is also known that many people affected by violence do not report it for various reasons, which leads to a high number of unreported cases. 

The feedback we received on the OR codes documents subtle everyday sexism and was carefully examined by the Equal Opportunities Office. They remain anonymous and unpublished, but will be incorporated into our further work. Our notices themselves have stimulated dialog within H-BRS. Awareness of the campaign and reflection on the topic of violence are important first steps in raising awareness of this issue and promoting long-term change. Even beyond the Orange Days, it remains our goal to break the silence and create spaces for those affected by violence. The Equal Opportunities Office would like to thank all participants and will use the knowledge gained from this campaign to make future initiatives even more inclusive and accessible.

Important note: If you are affected by violence yourself or know someone who needs support, you can contact the Equal Opportunities Officer Dr. Barbara Hillen-Haas or the help hotline for violence against women 116 016. Your health and safety are important - do not hesitate to seek help.”