Positive results after one year of the anti-discrimination office in Jena

With 30 contacts made in 12 months, the team at the Office for Migration and Integration can draw a positive balance of the work of the Anti-Discrimination Office in its first year of existence.

"When we started our work in July 2021, public life was still heavily influenced by the pandemic. Access restrictions and infection control measures had a major impact on everyday life and work. Networking opportunities were limited and we were only able to promote the work of the Anti-Discrimination Agency to a limited extent. Measured against these external conditions, we can be very satisfied with thirty contacts in 12 months," says Dörthe Thiele from the Office for Migration and Integration.

Equally positive is the fact that, despite having the same staff as the Office for Migration and Integration, it has been possible to create a distinction between the two areas of activity by means of a separate website and a separate telephone number and to become visible as an anti-discrimination office.

Kathrin Bajohr from the Office for Migration and Integration adds: "People turned to the anti-discrimination office not only because they had experienced racism, but also because they felt discriminated against because of their gender, sexual orientation or disability. We provide holistic advice at the Anti-Discrimination Agency."

The establishment of the anti-discrimination office was one of the measures in the city of Jena's 10-point action plan against racism. Membership of the Coalition of Cities against Racism (ECCAR) is based on the fact that these measures are gradually being implemented.

Lord Mayor Dr. Thomas Nitzsche says: "Being accepted into the coalition of cities recognizes our commitment to date in the fight against racism and discrimination. We will continue to pursue this path consistently, because it is clear to us that there is no place for it in Jena."

Background to the report "1 year of the anti-discrimination office" and next steps

Dörthe Thiele (l.) und Kathrin Bajohr vom Büro für Migration und Integration

© Stadt Jena

It was remarkable that there were also telephone inquiries from the surrounding area of the city of Jena. In these cases, reference was made to supra-regional services in a detailed discussion, depending on the individual needs of those seeking advice, and further possible steps were outlined and discussed.

The work of the anti-discrimination office was characterized by the fact that a third of those seeking advice did not formulate any further action. These people were primarily interested in describing their experiences and being able to formulate their point of view. Two thirds of the contacts resulted in a more extensive support process, which was individually tailored to the mandate and resources of the person seeking advice.

If requested, the anti-discrimination office obtained statements from the body allegedly responsible for the discrimination. On a positive note, it should be noted that all requests for statements were either answered in writing or there was at least feedback by telephone, even if this feedback was not always characterized by insight into one's own discriminatory actions. In contrast, there were no personal mediation meetings. This is not unusual, as very few people seeking advice want to expose themselves to a direct confrontation with the body responsible for discrimination, as the experience of other anti-discrimination offices shows.

In more than half of the counseling cases, discrimination had to be identified, the majority of which involved racism. Although the Jena Anti-Discrimination Office is well accepted, a high number of unreported cases can be assumed. The cases reported to the anti-discrimination office probably only represent the "tip of the iceberg".

With a city-wide campaign against racism, the city of Jena would like to continue to draw attention to racism and discrimination in public spaces in the coming year, as well as to corresponding offers of help.