News

Developed by the Cluster's GDO director Dr. Christine Vogt William and Dr. Anke Schürer-Ries and financed by the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence the newly launched Ayudha App intends to support individuals affected by sexual harrassment. Simultaneously, the Cluster published its policy against sexual harassment in the workplace.

The Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence at the University of Bayreuth proudly announces the launch of the Ayudha App, a new digital tool designed to support individuals affected by sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace. The app has been developed and funded by the Cluster as part of its ongoing commitment to building safe and inclusive academic environments. The developing task force describes the app as follows:

The Ayudha app is a digital resource designed to help people who have experienced or witnessed sexual harassment or discriminatory behaviour of any kind in the workplace at the University of Bayreuth. Ayudha derives from the Spanish word for ‘support’ and the Sanskrit word for ‘tool’ – hence the Ayudha app is a support tool that enables users to find the help they need.

As a practical measure implemented by the Africa Multiple Cluster, alongside its policy against sexual harassment in institutional spaces, the app provides information on university structures to help people who have been victims of sexist or racist violence in their workplace. In addition, the app also provides contact details to various external points of contact and assistance in cases of sexual harassment or any discriminatory behaviour.

The main categories of use in the app are: Emergency Public Services, Support Organisations, UBT Resources and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). This app is a non-profit instrument and does not store, use or disseminate user data in any way.

The Ayudha App is launched alongside the publication of the Cluster’s Policy against Sexual Harassment in the Workplace, adopted on 18 July 2024 by the Cluster’s Academic Committee and may be found on the Cluster website.

The Ayudha App will be available on both Google Playstore and iTunes as of 3 November 2025.

These developments mark the result of one and a half year of dedicated work, carried out in close collaboration with existing university structures. The process of creating the Ayudha App was led by the Cluster’s Gender and Diversity Officer, Dr. Christine Vogt-William, and UBT’s RDM data curator Dr. Anke Schürer-Ries, supported by developers and designers with a background in psychology with a focus on GBV and health tools steered the designated taskforce in designing these measures.

Together, the Ayudha App and the Cluster Policy against Sexual Harassment in the Workplace underscore the Cluster’s strong commitment to fostering a safe, inclusive, and equitable working environment across all its academic and institutional spaces.