If you experience harassment, bullying or unequal treatment
If you have experienced discrimination, (sexual) harassment or bullying, it is important for you not to feel alone in this situation. The university offers you support and opportunities to find solutions. On this site, you will find information on how to react and behave if you have experienced or seen discriminatory behaviour, and how to inform the university.
If you have experienced physical violence or feel threatened, contact emergency services (112) immediately. National support contacts can be found here.
- How to react to the situation?
- How to notify the university?
- Where to go if the situation is dangerous?
- What to do if you witness discrimination?
Speak and gather evidence
- If you feel safe, first notify the person who is behaving inappropriately that their behaviour is unacceptable.
- Write down where, when and what happened, and if possible, gather evidence (e.g. emails, messages, photos). Also, write down who may have witnessed the incident.
If you are unsure whether the incident was harassment, discrimination, or bullying, you can find more information and examples in the guidelines for equal treatment (pp. 3–7).
Consult an equal treatment support person
If you want to discuss with someone how to respond, you can ask an equal treatment support person for advice. Equal treatment support persons who have undergone special training will listen to your concerns and explain whom to contact and how such situations are solved at the university. It is important to keep in mind that support persons do not resolve complaints in substance but instead give you confidential advice.
If you are a student, you can also consult with student representatives.
Psychological support
Understandably, experiencing or witnessing discrimination, harassment or bullying is mentally burdensome. The University of Tartu offers psychological counselling. Students can turn to the Counselling Centre, while employees can turn to the staff’s psychological counsellor.
Informing the manager, making a formal complaint, and using the reporting channel
You can inform the university of the incident in three ways, from which you can choose the one that suits you best.
We encourage you to report the situation as soon as possible, so that the case can be resolved more quickly, and potential damage can be prevented in the future. However, it is worth considering that it is never too late to report, and incidents that happened in the distant past are treated with the same seriousness.
If talking to the person who behaved inappropriately does not bring the desired results or you do not want to solve the situation in this way, as an employee, you can contact your immediate supervisor, the head of unit, or, if necessary, a higher-level manager.
As a student, you can contact the programme director, the head of the institute, or the dean.
If contacting the manager does not resolve the situation or you do not want to do so, it is possible to file a complaint with the academic secretary Tõnis Karki. The complaint form can be found on the equal treatment website.
You can send the complaint by email (tonis.karki@ut.ee) or bring it on paper to the university’s main building (Ülikooli 18–138, Tartu). To process a complaint, the academic secretary may involve an impartial committee consisting of at least three members. Read more in the guidelines for equal treatment (pp. 9–17).
The breach can also be reported confidentially and, if desired, anonymously via the reporting channel. An internal auditor will evaluate a received report first. They will ask you for permission to involve the head of the Human Resources Office or a legal adviser in personnel matters and contracts who will introduce you to counselling options and possible ways to resolve the case at the university. The person involved in your case has a duty of confidentiality.
Evidence and data protection
When you start sharing evidence with the university, make sure you keep the collected personal data safe. If possible, use the university’s cloud services: Microsoft OneDrive for storing documents and SharePoint for sharing documents.
Personal data collected about the incident for your own use may be shared with the university. Before sharing with others, evaluate whether there is an unavoidable need.
Extreme situations
If you have experienced physical violence or feel threatened, call the police or ambulance (112) immediately. In the event of sexual violence, you can get help from the Sexual Violence Crisis Centre (in Tartu, the Emergency Department of Tartu University Hospital).
Important contact details
Emergency aid (ambulance, Estonian Rescue Board, police): 112
Victim support crisis hotline: 116 006 (in Estonian, Russian and English)
Tartu Counselling and Crisis Help Center (Vaksali 14, second floor): 742 7555, tnk.tartu.ee/english.php
Eluliin (every day 19–07): 655 8088 (in Estonian), 655 5688 (in Russian)
Emotional support and pastoral care helpline: 116 123
Consultation on the website peaasi.ee
Gender Equality and Equal Treatment Commissioner: 626 9059, info@volinik.ee, avaldus@volinik.ee, volinik.ee
If you witness harassment, bullying or unequal treatment
If you witness sexual harassment or unequal treatment, do not stand by – your support may be important to the victim. Talk to the victim and encourage them to seek help. If possible, store written evidence describing what happened. If the situation is extreme (e.g. physical violence), first assess whether it is safe for you to intervene.
You can reach out to an equal treatment support person to help you think about the next steps. If the situation continues or is serious, notify the manager, programme director or academic secretary with the consent of the victim. However, please note that the most important thing is to consider the wishes and needs of the victim.
You can also use the reporting channel where you can report the incident confidentially and, if you wish, anonymously.
Together, we will create a safe and equal university!
