In Germany, protection against discrimination is regulated in Article 3 of the German Constitution. It states:
„(1) All people are equal in the eyes of the law.
(2) Men and women have equal rights. The state promotes the actual implementation of equal rights for women and men and works towards the elimination of existing inequalities.
(3) No person shall be discriminated against or favoured because of sex, race, language, nationality, origin, creed, religious or political opinion. No one may be discriminated against because of their disability.“[1]
The “NRW Higher Education Act”[2], which is binding for universities, also regulates which discriminatory behaviour leads students to commit regulatory violations in §51a on regulatory violations and regulatory measures. This includes, for example, the use of, incitement to and threats of violence and the restriction of the rights of another university member, which includes protection against discrimination.
In order to create the basis for a non-discriminatory university, RUB has had an anti-discrimination directive since 2023, which applies to all university members and staff (e.g. students, professors and lecturers) as well as to lecturers, interns, post-doctoral students and trainees, and is also intended to protect external doctoral candidates and visiting academics.
Areas of application of the guideline are the university campus and external properties (e.g. the Bochumer Window), virtual rooms with a university connection (e.g. online teaching) as well as all university events if at least one person involved is a member or affiliate of RUB.
The directive regulates:
– Values and guiding principles,
– The prohibition of discrimination, harassment, violence, bullying and stalking,
– Preventive measures,
– Advice and complaints management.
Further information on the RUB’s anti-discrimination policy and examples of forms of discrimination can be found here.
Have you observed a violation of the anti-discrimination directive or are you affected by it yourself?
You are not alone! Here you can find contact and advice centres on campus and in the Bochum area.
[1] Deutscher Bundestag – I. Die Grundrechte (zuletzt abgerufen am 14.03.2025)
[2] SGV Inhalt: Gesetz über die Hochschulen des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen (Hochschulgesetz – HG) | RECHT.NRW.DE (zuletzt abgerufen am 14.03.2025)