Academic goals
One of the most emblematic examples in the pursuit of scientific knowledge to resolve social issues is the problem of sexism and violence against women. This is outlined in Organic Law 1/2004, of 28 December, on Comprehensive Protection Measures against Gender Violence. Equality between men and women has been declared as one of the aims of the educational system and a quality principle of it.
Mainstreaming involves all levels of education. Transmitting content without gender bias in the continuous training of educators is also essential for success in achieving in-depth change in sexist attitudes that provoke discrimination and violence against women.
To speak of gender violence is to speak of a violation of human rights that, more generally, occurs within the international community, in addition to speaking of the seriousness of the consequences, both physical and mental, resulting in the victims and of the serious social problem that all this implies due to its high incidence within the population.
Although this violence is expressed in a myriad of ways, they all have in common the situation of inequality in which women find themselves, in their social and personal relationships alike. Inequality upon which, occasionally, other problems must be added, which can also give rise to discrimination (disability, immigration, sexual choice, etc.), and which produce what has come to be called "multiple discrimination." The concurrence, therefore, of these and other factors does not only exacerbate the suffering and social exclusion of female victims, but also places the prevention and intervention into a multidisciplinary workspace.
In order to deconstruct what is understood as gender violence, we must pause at the analysis of concepts related to it. These concepts include sex, gender, violence, harassment, abuse, chauvinism, enculturation, socialization, etc., which on many occasions are used synonymously and with a pretended neutral objective, when in reality, they must be differentiated by the ideological and subjective charges they contain.
Legislative initiatives represent important legal support and a work tool for combating violence against women. Nonetheless, as we are aware of the difficulties of this objective, we feel the need to offer this program, Intervention, Training and Prevention of Gender Violence: A Multidisciplinary Approach Gender Violence Training and Prevention.
However, this problem is not only a problem for women; it is also a problem for men, and it is an attack on human rights and, therefore, a social problem. Moreover, gender violence is a problem for men that women suffer. If this is the case, and indeed, it is, involving the largest number of citizens is necessary, and making the youth of both sexes aware of this serious problem and learning how to eradicate it is essential. It makes another form of engagement necessary, where violence, in all its forms, has no place, where we are capable of resolving our conflicts in a non-violent manner.
We are interested in analyzing and understanding the logic behind certain violent behaviors at school, domestically, at work, in the street, etc., in relation to gender in order to act better and stop them and change them or eradicate them through gender equality training.
It should also be kept in mind that achieving equality and preventing gender violence are closely related to other objectives highlighted as priorities for improving society: eradicating abuse and the use of force as a relationship model and preventing situations of risk, helping adolescents find their place in the world without domination or submission (Díaz-Aguado & Carvajal, 2011: 387).
Different studies have shown how youth, and especially boys, tend not to identify intimate partner violence as such; rather, they tend to normalize or naturalize it. Furthermore, gender violence is far more present in relationships between young people than adults; psychological violence is present in more than 50% of these types of relationships and physical violence is present in more than 30% (Heinrich Geldschläger, Alvaro Ponde, Oriol Ginés: 2009).
Problems detected in adolescents:
- They justify gender violence in a certain sense.
- They justify sexism and violence as reactions.
- They have more difficulties recognizing emotional abuse as a situation of abuse, and these are where they usually start.
- Lower ages wherein they enter into paired relationships (six months earlier on average).
- Less perception of control over what is lived and the ability to make decisions (indicators of less empowerment) (Díaz-Aguado & Carvajal, 2011: 392-393).
The "macho" mentality that underlies gender violence stands out as its main risk condition from adolescence.
However, we must not forget that gender violence, in its various forms, occurs at all ages and always against women due to the simple fact that they are women, and due to them being considered inferior in our androcentric, chauvinistic, and patriarchal society.
Transversal competencies
Instrumental
- Basic general knowledge.
- Problem solving.
- Capacity for analysis and synthesis.
- Decision making.
Interpersonal
- Critical and self-critical abilities.
- Ability to apply principles of equality among women and men.
Systematic
- Ability to work autonomously.
- Capacity to apply knowledge in practice.
Learning objectives
- Provide essential knowledge on gender equality to achieve real equality between women and men in everyday life.
- Provide the keys, instruments, and concepts that make the implementation of measures, programs, and projects in favor of equal opportunities between women and men possible.
- Learn the bases of behavior and ideas on unequal relationships between the sexes in our social surroundings to offer education that seeks effective equality between women and men and permits new forms of non-sexist femininity and masculinity.
- Analyze systems of cultural values and gender-sex systems in relation to violence against women.
- Reconstruct concepts such as domestic violence, gender violence, and cultural ethnocentrism.
- Reflect on cultural relativism and gender violence.
- Raise current standardization, ideological representations, and gender violence.
- Become aware of one's own chauvinistic attitudes to learn how to modify sexist and violent behaviors and attitudes.
- Distinguish between different types of abuse.
- Acquire a critical awareness towards the transmission of sexist messages in the media, film, literature, music, etc., and all the cultural factors with the greatest influence on adolescence.
- Identify affective-sexual relationships as spaces for human communication with growth and freedom, and not as submission of one sex toward another.
- Raise affective-sexual relationships from the gender perspective, with respect and equality, and foster as such the rejection of violence in relationships.
Educational structure
Topic 1. Cultural Bases of Gender Violence
Topic 2. Current Feminism and Social Movements: Fourth Feminist Wave
Topic 3. Laws and Gender Violence
Topic 4. Victims and Perpetrators
Topic 5. Current Measures, Protocols, and Procedures against Gender-Based Violent Aggression
Topic 6. Actions against Gender Violence
Topic 7. Gender Violence among Adolescents
Topic 8. Crisis of Masculine Identity and Gender Violence
Topic 9. Prostitution, Consumption of Women's Bodies and Trafficking of Girls and Women for Purposes of Sexual Exploitation: Gender Violence Part I
Topic 10. Prostitution, Consumption of Women's Bodies, and Trafficking of Girls and Women for Purposes of Sexual Exploitation: Gender Violence Part II
Facilities and schedule
Elche Venue
Intervention, Training and Prevention of Gender Violence: A Multidisciplinary Approach
Program dates:
November 12, 14, 19, 21 & 26, 2019
Class Times:
4:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Class location:
Miguel Hernández University of Elche. Elche Campus
November 12, 19 & 26: Room 2.7. La Galia Building
November 14 & 21: Room 0.2. Altabix Building