National day against sexual harassment at universities
With the national day against sexual harassment, the Swiss universities want to sensitize their members to this important topic next Wednesday. The University of Basel is offering various virtual events on this day. In advance, the new regulations on the protection of personal integrity were adopted and put into effect.
23 November 2020
The Day against Sexual Harassment at Swiss Universities was originally scheduled to take place on 23 March 2020, but due to the corona crisis the activities were postponed until November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. A rich program has been put together by the Diversity Office of the University of Basel together with Skuba and Avuba.
Over lunchtime an awareness training under the direction of experts from Awareness Basel will be held. The training should enable participants to recognize situations of discrimination and abuse of power, to react professionally to them and to prevent such situations. The event will be held in German (12:00 noon) and English (1:15 pm).
In the morning and evening, a Wen-Do trial course on self-assertion and self-defense is on the program. At 9 am it is aimed for employees and at 6 pm for students. Further offers are published on the website.
Newly created coordination office and adapted regulations
In September 2019, the University of Basel has created a new Personal Integrity Coordination Office. The Coordinator acts as a low-threshold, confidential and personal contact point for university staff and students who feel their personal integrity has been violated. She advises them and informs them, among other things, about possible clarification and investigation procedures at the University.
The Coordination Office also has the task of developing and expanding proactive measures and evaluating and, if necessary, adapting the regulatory, operational and communication processes of the University of Basel with regard to their suitability for respecting and protecting personal integrity. In this context, the regulations for the protection of personal integrity were also revised and adopted in October 2020. They govern the procedures in cases of discrimination, mobbing and sexual harassment.
New “Personal Integrity coordinator” from February 2021
In February 2021, Melanie Nussbaumer will begin her work at the University of Basel as Personal Integrity Coordinator. She is a sociologist currently completing her doctorate at our university and will succeed Dr. Andrea Flora Bauer in the spring, who will leave the University of Basel at the end of November for FHNW. As the first “Personal Integrity Coordinator” at the University of Basel, Andrea Bauer has invested a great deal of effort in the development work over the past year, establishing processes and giving the topic of “Personal Integrity” greater visibility. Until Melanie Nussbaumer takes over, Patricia Zweifel, Deputy Head of Diversity, will be the contact person for the Coordination Office.
