Around one third of all women in Germany and worldwide have experienced sexualized, physical, or psychological violence. This horrifying statistic has been confirmed by multiple studies conducted by, for example, the World Health Organization (https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240022256) or the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (https://fra.europa.eu/en/publication/2014/violence-against-women-eu-wide-survey-results-glance). This state of affairs is intolerable, which is why people around the world take part in the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women every year on November 25.

 

This will be Freie Universität Berlin's fourth year participating in this day of remembrance and activism with a series of events and activities from November 22 to 25, 2022. This year's motto is: "No Means No - Together against Sexualized Violence." (https://www.fu-berlin.de/sites/nein-heisst-nein/Anti-Gewalt-Aktionstage/index.html). The statement makes clear that all of us have a part to play in eliminating violence against women - whether we are witnesses, managers, colleagues, or classmates, and regardless of our gender. We all need to actively take a stand.

 

We hope that you will join us for this year's campaign and the wide variety of opportunities it offers to get involved. You can collect information, learn about new topics, and share your experience and knowledge with others:

 

Tuesday, November 22:

 

* 10:00 a.m.: Workshop on "Stopping (Cyber)Stalking" for counselors/advisers serving as official contacts, Goßlerstraße 2-4, Room K011, 14195 Berlin, in German

 

Wednesday, November 23:

 

* 11:00 a.m.: Opening of the exhibition "#MeToo and the University" (on until November 25), presided over by Andrea Güttner (in lieu of the provost), Rost- und Silberlaube Building, Foyer of lecture halls 1a/1b, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, in German

 

* 11:30 a.m.: Panel discussion "Together against Sexualized Harassment, Discrimination, and Violence at Universities," Rost- und Silberlaube Building, Room KL 29/135, in German

 

* 12:45 a.m.: Conversations about sexualized harassment, discrimination, and violence in higher education for students and early-career researchers, Rost- und Silberlaube Building, Room KL 29/135, in German and English

 

Friday, November 25:

 

* 10:00 a.m.: Workshop on "Socialization and the Propensity for Violence" - men are very much welcome to attend, too. Goßlerstraße 2-4, Room K011, 14195 Berlin, in German

 

You are also invited to contribute to the digital "Wish Tree" (https://blogs.fu-berlin.de/wunschbaum_n25/2022/11/07/digitaler-wunschbaum/). There you can express your needs, wishes, and concerns about sexualized harassment, discrimination, and violence at the university in an anonymous format. You may also contribute to the. The "Wish Tree" will be used by the Standing Working Group against Sexual Harassment, Discrimination, and Violence at Freie Universität as input for their future work.

 

The full program of events as well as information on how to register for workshops can be found on the "No Means No" website (https://www.fu-berlin.de/sites/nein-heisst-nein/Anti-Gewalt-Aktionstage/index.html). The campaign is being organized jointly by the Margherita von Brentano Center and the Chief Gender Equality Officer's team. Dr. Heike Pantelmann and Wendy Stollberg are the official points of contact. You can reach them at november25@campus.fu-berlin.de.