The Anti-Discrimination Officer offers confidential counseling to all members of TU Darmstadt in cases of discrimination. The foundational principles include:

• A Discrimination-aware perspective, which views discrimination in the context of socially and historically entrenched structures of inequality.
• A horizontal approach that takes all forms and experiences of discrimination equally seriously.

Consultation by the Anti-Discrimination Officer in cases of discrimination is guided by the following criteria:

Confidentiality

The content of the consultation remains strictly between the person seeking advice and the Anti-Discrimination Officer. It will not be disclosed to anyone without the clear approval of the individual concerned.

Victim-Oriented

The consultation focuses on the perceptions and experiences of the individual seeking advice.

During the initial consultation, the presented issue is assessed based on the definition of discrimination outlined in the AGG (General Equal Treatment Act) and the TU’s guidelines against discrimination.

Open-Ended

The individual seeking advice is supported in identifying which strategies might be helpful and feasible for addressing their specific situation or experience. No recommendations or interpretations are provided by the consultant regarding how to handle the discrimination incident. Instead, the goal is to inform the individual about the available options, the implications of these options, and the potential outcomes or impacts, for instance, in the case of an official complaint or a low-threshold support by the Anti-Discrimination Officer.

The Anti-Discrimination Officer also offers consultation to individuals affected by discrimination regarding possible courses of action. These may include measures to resolve or improve the situation or low-threshold support. In such cases, the Officer can act as an advocate on behalf of the individual seeking advice. This must always occur at the request of the affected person, who retains the sole decision-making authority regarding whether and which measures are taken.

The Anti-Discrimination Office is also legally mandated to document and report on incidents of discrimination. This is done in an anonymized and abstract format.