At the University of Information Technology and Management in Rzeszów, a policy of counteracting mobbing, discrimination and violence against students as well as against university employees has been in force since the 2019/20 academic year.
Katarzyna Kurzępa-Dedo PhD,, is the Rector’s Plenipotentiary for counteracting mobbing, discrimination and violence . It considers applications of people (employees or students) who may have experienced discrimination, mobbing or violence on the part of a UITM student or employee.
Definitions of discrimination, mobbing, violence
Discrimination means the exclusion or worst treatment of someone based on their gender, age, national origin, nationality, religion, belief, skin color or sexual orientation.
Mobbing means actions or behaviors related to an employee or directed against an employee, consisting of persistent and prolonged harassment or intimidation of an employee, causing him to underestimate his professional suitability, or aimed at humiliating or ridiculing the employee, isolating him or eliminating him from the team of colleagues.
Violence is the intentional act or omission of one person to act against another, which by using the advantage of force violates the rights and personal rights of an individual, causing suffering and harm.
We speak of violence when 4 conditions are met:
- intentional – violence is a deliberate human action and is aimed at controlling and subordinating the victim.
- power imbalance – in a relationship one person has a distinct advantage over the other. She is stronger physically, mentally, materially, professionally, socially and uses this advantage to force someone to submit to her wishes.
- violation of personal rights and rights – the perpetrator uses his advantage and violates the basic rights of the victim (e.g. the right to physical inviolability, dignity, respect, etc.) – he gives himself the right to offend, hit, criticize, take something or not give it. He does not take into account her needs, protests and feelings.
- causing suffering and pain – the perpetrator exposes the victim’s health to serious damage, and sometimes threatens her life. Experiencing pain and suffering makes the victim less able to defend themselves. The damage can be measurable or not, visible or invisible, immediate or delayed.
What is direct discrimination?
Direct discrimination is a situation in which a natural person is treated less favorably than another person in a comparable situation because of their sex, race, ethnic origin, nationality, religion, religious belief, disability, age or sexual orientation.
What is indirect discrimination?
Indirect discrimination occurs when an apparently neutral provision / decision / criterion violates the rights of a person or group, e.g. due to sex, religion, disability, etc. to the legitimate aim to be achieved and the means of achieving that aim are appropriate and necessary.
What behaviors are not discriminatory?
These are behaviors in which students feel disadvantaged, in particular by a university employee (e.g. in the context of passing credits, setting deadlines, applicable material), but this behavior is not caused, inter alia, by their gender, race or nationality. Such situations do not constitute discrimination.
What is violence against a student?
Violence includes acts of physical, verbal, mental and sexual aggression, as well as cyberbullying (internet violence), stalking, blackmail and other forms of violence.
How should the student report violence or discrimination?
A student who believes that he or she has become a victim of discrimination or violence by another student or university employee may submit a complaint to the attorney in writing or electronically. Katarzyna Kurzępa-Dedo is the Rector’s plenipotentiary for counteracting mobbing, discrimination and violence in UITM .
What should the complaint contain?
The complaint should include:
- the date;
- description of the facts of the case;
- indication of exactly which actions or behaviors of another student or university employee are (in the opinion of the student submitting the complaint) a manifestation of discrimination or violence;
- indication of the name and surname of the person or persons who, in the student’s opinion, are the perpetrators of discrimination or violence;
- justification and indication of evidence that the discrimination or violence has occurred or is still taking place;
- signature of the student submitting the complaint.
The plenipotentiary examines the complaint in formal terms and then forwards it to the Rector who convenes the committee. The burden of proving that the accusations are false rests with the person identified as the perpetrator of discrimination or violence.
What is direct discrimination?
Direct discrimination concerns a situation in which an employee has been, is or could have been treated in a comparable situation less favorably than other employees.
What is indirect discrimination?
Indirect discrimination means situations where, as a result of an apparently neutral decision, criterion applied or action taken, there are or could occur unfavorable disproportions or a particularly unfavorable situation in terms of:
- establishing and terminating an employment relationship,
- employment conditions,
- promotion,
- access to training for the purpose of improving professional qualifications,
for all or a significant number of employees, unless a provision, criterion or action is objectively justified in the light of the lawful purpose to be achieved and the means of achieving that objective are appropriate and necessary.
What is mobbing?
Harassment is an act or behavior involving or directed against an employee. It consists in persistent and long-term harassment or intimidation of an employee. It causes him to underestimate his professional suitability, and also causes or is aimed at humiliating or ridiculing the employee, isolating him or eliminating him from the team of colleagues.
What is violence?
Violence refers to acts of physical, verbal, psychological and sexual aggression, as well as cyberbullying (internet violence), stalking, blackmail and other forms of violence.
How should an employee report discrimination, mobbing or violence?
An employee who believes that he or she has become a victim of discrimination, mobbing or violence on the part of a student or other university employee may submit a complaint to the attorney in writing or electronically. The Rector’s plenipotentiary for counteracting mobbing, discrimination and violence in UITM is Dr. Katarzyna Kurzępa-Dedo..
What should the complaint contain?
The complaint should include:
- the date;
- description of the facts of the case;
indication of which exact actions or behavior of the student or other university employee are (in the opinion of the employee submitting the complaint) a manifestation of discrimination or violence; - indication of the name and surname of the person or persons who, in the employee’s opinion, are perpetrators of discrimination or violence;
justification and indication of evidence that the discrimination or violence has occurred or is still taking place; - signature of the employee submitting the complaint.
The plenipotentiary examines the complaint in formal terms and then forwards it to the Rector who convenes the committee. The burden of proving that the accusations are false rests with the person identified as the perpetrator of discrimination or violence.
