Confidential advisers: if you encounter undesirable behaviour

Depending on your circumstances, it may be a good idea to start by discussing the situation with your lecturer, programme coordinator or study adviser. If this is not possible for some reason, you can always get in touch with a confidential adviser. Confidential advisers can offer support if you are experiencing undesirable behaviour by lecturers, students or any other person you interact with as part of your studies at the UvA. The behaviour does not necessarily need to have occurred at a UvA location. Undesirable behaviour can lead to stress and psychological or physical symptoms, so it is crucial to discuss the situation with someone before things get out of hand. 

What can you expect from our confidential advisers?

Confidential advisers offer support to anyone experiencing study-related undesirable behaviour and can help you figure out how to stop it from happening or prevent the situation from getting any worse. If necessary, the confidential adviser will refer you to a professional counsellor. They can also help you file a formal complaint with the Complaints Committee. Everything you discuss with the confidential adviser is confidential. The confidential adviser will only take action if you have authorised them to do so.

Coordinating confidential adviser

The UvA also has a coordinating confidential adviser. He is a sparring partner for the other advisers, coordinates the activities of the internal network of advisers, ensures the independent positioning of the advisers in the faculties and central units and monitors the workload of each confidential adviser.

A safe UvA environment for all

The UvA is committed to providing a safe environment for all its students, staff and visitors. We consider all forms of undesirable behaviour, such as sexual harassment or other forms of harassment, aggression, bullying or discrimination, to be unacceptable. We believe everyone should be treated with respect, regardless of their origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, role or position. The UvA also has a set of Regulations concerning the Confidential AdviserExternal link and a Code of ConductExternal link that applies to all students and staff. We also prepare an Annual Report on UvA Confidential AdvisersExternal link, which is publicly available. Visit uva.nl to learn more about the UvA's approach to social safetyExternal link.