International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
BRINGING IN THE BYSTANDER™ - workshops for students
How to deal with sexual harassment
Helpful tips and further reading

Gender-based violence disproportionately affects women and girls as well as intersex, non-binary, trans and agender people each and every day.

It is one of the most widespread violations of human rights and has its roots in social norms, discrimination, and power imbalances. It impacts the physical and mental health of those affected and inhibits equal participation in private and social life. It is happening right now, and it is manifold.

Gender-based violence is a reality for many women who work or study at our university. As an institution that provides space for open discourse, it is our duty to raise awareness of this difficult and intolerable topic, and of our personal responsibility for each other. We must also play our part in developing strategies for prevention, intervention, sanctions, information, raising awareness and creating a catalogue of recommendations that do justice to the actual experience of those affected.

International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

On November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, we want to bring this topic to the attention of the university community with various interactive events aimed at providing information and fostering dialogue.

To this end, TU Dresden participated in the Orange the World campaign and lit up the Rector’s Office and Gerber Building in orange on November 25, 2021. By doing so, the university showed its commitment to a violence-free future for everyone.

© Nils Eisfeld

On November 22, 2022, various events were held addressing this topic.

BRINGING IN THE BYSTANDER™ – workshops for students

Bringing in the BYSTANDER ™ (German flyer – PDF file) is an evidence-based, interactive workshop which emphasizes the idea that everyone has a role to play in preventing sexual violence (Guidelines on Dealing with Harassment, Discrimination and Violence).
This training program is aimed specifically at bystanders and/or (un)conscious witnesses of this form of violence.

Using a methodical approach, it teaches participants to recognize different forms of sexualized violence and invites them to reflect on prevention and intervention strategies by addressing issues such as victim blaming, rape culture and consent. Everybody has a responsibility to engage with sexual discrimination and violence. That is why Bringing in the BYSTANDER™ is being introduced as a regular program at TU Dresden.

The Equal Opportunities Office has offered Bringing in the BYSTANDER ™ as a three-hour workshop for students since the 2021/22 winter semester. Anja Wiede (cis-woman, white), the contact person at the Complaints Office, conducts the workshop. There is a maximum of 12 participants per workshop. Participants receive a certificate of attendance after completing the workshop.

If you would like to hold the workshop in a different setting, with a fixed group, in a different language, or if you require a workshop that is only open to women and trans, intersex, non-binary and agender individuals, please feel free to contact us.

We would like our events to be as accessible as possible. Please let us know how we can assist you.

Contact for more information and potential workshop dates:
Anja Wiede, 📞  +49 351 463-33564


Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Free State of Saxony under the Excellence Strategy of the Federal and State Governments

How to deal with sexual harassment

The General Act on Equal Treatment defines sexual harassment as “unwanted conduct of a sexual nature...[that] takes place with the purpose or effect of violating the dignity of the person concerned, in particular where it creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment” (Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency 2015).

Sometimes it is difficult to immediately put a name to what we have experienced. But we have feeling that something is not right. Sometimes we have feelings of fear or discomfort, or have questions like:  “What really happened?”, “Is it my fault?” or “Should I even tell anyone about this?” We might feel hopeless and think, “What can I do about it? If I tell someone, I’m the one who will get hurt.”

Just like discrimination and violence, sexual harassment can be found in all areas of life including work, and it can affect our university, too. This is no secret – we need to be able to talk about this in order to find solutions.

© TUD_Karsten Eckold

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Address work

Visitor Address:

Lehrgebäude Weberplatz, WEB 234
barrierefreier Eingang im Innenhof, Raum 234 Weberplatz 5

01217 Dresden

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Postal Address:

Technische Universität Dresden Referat Gleichstellung von Frau und Mann Helmholtzstraße 10

01069 Dresden

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Opening Hours:

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11:00 - 14:00

oder nach Vereinbarung

Find out more about the Complaints Office at TU Dresden:

If you have experienced harassment, discrimination or violence, you can also contact the following offices and people at our university for confidential advice:

Helpful tips and further reading

Current reports on the implementation of the Istanbul Convention (Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence) ratified by Germany in 2018:

• GREVIO report (in German), in which Germany evaluates the implementation of the Istanbul Convention.
• Alternative Report on the Implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence

German language podcast episode: #MeToo in Science