Filing a complaint

1. Build up a complaint file: document your situation in writing in a factual manner and present evidence and dates, if you have them. You may at any time request a person of trust to assist you in the procedure.
2. Get legal advice: if you have any doubts about the admissibility of the complaint and the building of the file, you can contact the Ombudsperson, who will offer you advice and support free of charge and in complete confidentiality.
3. Send your complaint: send your complaint file to direction@UNIL.ch
4. Further actions: the Rectorate will decide what actions must be taken. When the complaint concerns a member of the UNIL staff, the case falls within the competence of the Rectorate, who may investigate or commission an external enquiry and take action or sanctions in accordance with the findings of the enquiry. The choice of an external service provider for an investigation is made on a case-by-case basis, depending on the nature of the alleged facts and the people involved. When the complaint concerns a student or an auditor, the Rectorate refers the case to the Disciplinary Board. In cases that fall under criminal law (e.g. defamation, slander, insult, threat, physical assault, sexual coercion, rape), the Rectorate reports the case to the Public Prosecutor.
5. Reporting via the form: in addition to these actions, you can also report your situation via the reporting form.
6. Cases covered by criminal law: in cases that fall under criminal law (e.g. defamation, slander, insult, threat, physical assault, sexual coercion, rape), you can either file a complaint against the person concerned directly with a police station or send your complaint to the Rectorate (following the steps indicated above), who will initiate the procedure. In all cases, the Ombudsperson is available for advice, free of charge.

The Ombudsperson is a person external to and independent of UNIL. Their role is to examine the complaints submitted to them and to assess their admissibility from a legal point of view. If the alleged facts justify an investigation, the Ombudsperson will help you to build up your complaint; after you have filed a complaint to the Rectorate, this latter will contact you directly. If the alleged facts are a matter of criminal complaint (to Office of the Attorney General), the Ombudsperson will assist you in writing the complaint.

• Labour Law (LTr), art. 6, para. 1 (available in French)
• Swiss Code of Obligations (CO), art. 328, para. 1
• Canton of Vaud Personnel Act (LPers) and its Implementing Regulation (RLPers-VD) (French only)
• University of Lausanne Act (LUL) (in particular art. 82) and its Implementing Regulation (RLUL) (French only)
• Rectorate Directive 0.4. on preventing and managing conflict and violations of personal rights within the university community (Under review, notably in connection with the Groupe Impact, which UNIL no longer uses)
• Swiss Civil Code art. 28b (English not yet available)
• Swiss Criminal Code

For contractual employees: acts of violation of personal rights may lead to sanctions, ranging from a warning to the termination of the employee's contract.

For students: the sanctions that may be pronounced by the Disciplinary Board against a student or an auditor are governed by the University of Lausanne Act (art. 77), which provides for warning, suspension or exclusion.