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B. What should you do if you feel being discriminated, harassed or vilified?

There are a number of things you might want to consider:

01Try to self-manage the situation, sort it out, where practicable, with the person or people involved. Speak up at the time. Tell the discriminators that their behaviour is unacceptable and should be stopped immediately. Correcting the situation immediately is in everyone’s best interests. In particular, ignoring the prohibited behaviour may make the situation worse because the discriminators may misinterpret a lack of response as approval or condonation of the behaviour.
02Approach your immediate supervisor, unit head, or an advisor/a resource person for advice and assistance in resolving the problem informally if the discriminators do not stop their behaviour.
03Keep a written record of what has happened after the incident as soon as possible, including the dates, time, location, witnesses (if any) and nature (what the discriminators have said or done) and your own response(s). The information will be helpful when you want to take action at a later date. If the discrimination involves verbal abuse, try to record word for word what was said. This is particularly important if you feel you are being discriminated, harassed or vilified.
04Tell someone you trust or a counsellor, and ask for emotional support and advice.
05Seek confidential advice and help from the responsible officer at the Diversity and Inclusion Office (DIO), i.e. Committee Secretary (CS) of the Committee Against Discrimination and Sexual Harassment (CADSH). All complaints will be handled in a confidential manner in accordance with the existing University policies and applicable laws.
06You are encouraged to come forward with complaints as soon as possible after the alleged incident as a lapse in time may, under certain circumstances, present difficulty for the University in conducting a thorough investigation and collecting evidence.
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