SEXUAL HARASSMENT

prevention/reacting/support

Sexual harassment is defined as any unwanted sexual conduct related to sex or gender that aims to violate a person’s dignity, in particular by creating an intimidating, hostile, humiliating or offensive atmosphere for them – such behaviour may include physical, verbal or non-verbal elements.

Knowledge database

Guide to the Prevention of Sexual Harassment at University of Warsaw
HFPC Molestowanie na polskich uczelniach publicznych (2019) avaliable in Polish
RPO Doświadczenie molestowania wśród studentek i studentów (2018) avaliable in Polish
Poradnik Fundacji Feminoteka – Jak pomagać, by nie krzywdzić osób po doświadczeniu przemocy seksualnej, w tym gwałtu avaliable in Polish
FAQ sexual harassment and relationships at university
FAQ – inappropriate, harassing student’s behaviour

Have you witnessed harassment?

React!
Do not accept or tolerate disctimination. You will find tips on reacting to sexual harassment below.
Contact people who can help you.

Resources necessary to challenge discrimination are within our reach one of us.

Where to find support

There are a number of units at University of Warsaw that can provide support. A description of each unit can be found here.

If you have any doubts about whom to contact, please contact the Team of the Academic Ombudsman for student and employee affairs :

The Ombudsman can be approached in person, by email or by telephone.
The Ombudsman is on duty on Mondays and Thursdays from 11:00 to 14:00.
Dobra 55/66 street, 00 – 312 Warsaw (mezzanine, 1^st floor, room No 1.60C)

Facebook: OmbudsmanUW
Webpage: http://ombudsman.uw.edu.pl/
e-mail: ombudsman@uw.edu.pl

Tel. 22 55 27 214

If you want to report discrimination or unequal treatment, you can choose one of two paths:

1. Informal resolution by the Academic Ombudsman Team

A person who comes to the Ombudsman with a problem of sexual harassment, discrimination or unequal treatment can be supported by the following actions:

being listened to and supported in choosing a way to resolve the problem, including assistance in naming and diagnosing potential violations in a legal and psychological context and providing relevant information on the applicable rules and regulations at the University of Warsaw;
intervention in the situation, e.g. through interviews with potential offenders or their supervisors to provide feedback, highlight irregularities and call for an end to violations;
support in resolving conflicts co-existing with discrimination or unequal treatment, e.g. through mediation activities;
support in contacting other university units providing psychological and legal assistance, including assistance in initiating actions under the anti-discrimination procedure;
forwarding the information provided to the unit’s or university’s authorities, in particular drafting a request to the JM Rector to initiate disciplinary proceedings.

The decision on what action is to be taken by the Ombudsman remains entirely in the hands of the person concerned. Except in life and health emergencies, neither the University Ombudsman nor representatives of her team will intervene without the consent of the person making the request.

The Team of the Academic Ombudsman can be approached in person, by email or by telephone.

It is necessary to arrange a meeting in advance by e-mail.

Contact details

Warsaw University Library, Dobra 55/66 street, 00 – 312 Warsaw (mezzanine, 1^st floor, room No 1.60C)

Facebook: OmbudsmanUW
Strona: http://ombudsman.uw.edu.pl/
e-mail: ombudsman@uw.edu.pl

Tel. 22 55 27 214

Formal submitting a complaint about unequal treatment, discrimination (including harassment and sexual harassment), mobbing and other undesirable behaviours – submit a complaint

Formal submissions of complaints to the Anti-unequal treatment and discrimination Commission and the Anti-mobbing and other undesirable behaviours Commission are regulated by zarządzenia rektora UW nr 21 z 28 lutego 2024 roku w sprawie polityki przeciwdziałania dyskryminacji, mobbingowi i innym zachowaniom niepożądanym.

The ordinance describes step by step who is entitled to submit a complaint, how to file a complaint, how the proceedings are conducted and what are the consequences of confirming undesirable behaviour.

Who can submit a complaint:

any person directly affected by unequal treatment, discrimination (including harassment and sexual harassment) and other undesirable behaviour
a person working at the UW (under an employment contract and providing work/services under civil law contracts, regardless of the type of work and position held) directly affected by mobbing

Necessary conditions for filing a complaint:

personal reporting of the matter by the person directly affected by the event (anonymous reports will not be proceeded)
the event must concern an employee, Ph.D. student or student of the UW, on the premises of the University or be functionally related to the activities of the UW (former employees, Ph.D. students and students are not subject to the procedure)
the report should be submitted within 3 years of the event or the last of a series of events that are the subject of the report (in exceptionally justified situations, it will be possible to accept a report relating to events that occurred earlier).

Complaint:

submitted in paper or electronic form to the Team of Coordinators for counteracting unequal treatment, discrimination, mobbing and other undesirable behaviours (the Team consists of two coordinators).
coordinators ensure full confidentiality
the coordinator initially examines the complaint and immediately conducts an interview with the reporting person(s)
if the likelihood of the behaviour described in the complaint is confirmed, the case is referred to the appropriate Commission – the Unequal treatment and discrimination Commission or the Mobbing and other undesirable behaviours Commission
the coordinator may also consider the report unjustified and leave it without further action – this decision may be appealed to the Chairman of the relevant Commission
in other cases, the coordinator may refer the reporting person, with his or her consent, to the appropriate university unit that can provide assistance in solving the problem

Proceedings:

information about the initiation of proceedings before the appropriate Commission is sent to the person reporting the case, to the person concerned and to his/her superior (from the moment the case is reported to the Commission, the proceedings cease to be confidential)
the purpose of the proceedings before the Commission is to express an opinion on the complaint and provide recommendations on further actions
the chairman of the relevant Commission, within 7 days from the date of receiving the complaint from the Coordinator, appoints a three-person Opinion Team from among the Commission to clarify the matter
the person reporting the case and the person against whom the complaint was submitted have the right of access to all documents necessary to clarify the case, including the content of the complaint and other documents
the proceedings conducted by the Review Team should be completed within four months (in justified circumstances, this deadline may be extended)

Remedial measures recommended by the Commission:

towards the perpetrator of unequal treatment, discrimination, mobbing or other undesirable behaviours, the Commission may recommend, e.g.: an obligatory participation in anti-discrimination or anti-mobbing training or workshops, an obligation to apologize, refer the case to a disciplinary spokesman, terminate an employment contract or civil-law contract
towards the injured person, the Commission may recommend in particular: psychological support, change of class group, examiner, supervisor or auxiliary supervisor, transfer within the University structures.

Consequences of the Commission issuing an opinion:

The opinion of the Commission, containing a written justification of the adopted position, is forwarded to the Rector and the head of the unit or other appropriate superior, as well as to the person initiating the proceedings and the person against whom the proceedings were pending.

If the Commission finds a case of unequal treatment, discrimination, including harassment, sexual harassment, mobbing or other undesirable behaviour, the Rector may decide to:

imposing a warning if the act constitutes a minor disciplinary offense and proving guilt does not require explanatory proceedings;
imposing a disciplinary penalty under the Labour Code;
instructing the disciplinary spokesman (respectively for employees who are academic teachers or for students and doctoral students) to conduct explanatory proceedings and, if there are grounds, to initiate a disciplinary procedure;
termination of the employment contract or the civil law contract;
application of the remedial measures recommended by the Commission.

The Rector, within one month of receiving the Commission’s position, informs in writing the relevant Commission and the Coordinator, as well as the reporting person, the person whom the report concerns and the superior or head of the relevant organizational unit about any further actions taken in the case.

Contact details:

The Team of Coordinators for counteracting unequal treatment, discrimination, mobbing and other undesirable behaviours

Anna Grędzińska – (unequal tretment, discrimination including harassemnt and sexual harassemnt)

Magdalena Miksa (mobbing and other undesirable behaviours)

Address: Dobra 56/66 (1st floor, room No 1.60)

00 – 312 Warszawa
e-mail: zespolkoordynatorow@uw.edu.pl

3. Consulation Team on sexual harassment by Student Ombudsman Team

Consultants working in the Student Ombudsman Team lend support to people who have experienced sexual harassment. They help find legal and psychological support (also free of charge). They can refer the reporting person to the appropriate institution at the University.

The consultants maintain an anonymous list of cases that have taken place at the University, which will enable intervention if both Polish law and University regulations are violated.

The team guarantees complete anonymity and does not report cases to university authorities.

Contect details

Consulation Team on sexual harassment

e-mail: konsultantka@samorzad.uw.edu.pl

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