Gender-based Violence

Course description
Violence against women and girls has been recognized as cross-cutting issue affecting the lives of victims from a diversity of dimensions including culture, economy, political participation, education, psychology and health.
Gender-based Violence is a b-learning course that introduces learners to gender based violence (GBV) as a human rights problem.
The course incorporates reflective activities designed to examine the concepts of gender, violence and rights in order to explore the impact of gender-based violence on daily life, education, law and development.

General objective
This course aims at learners understanding and engaging to implement strategies that eradicate gender-based violence and promote gender equity according to the human rights approach.

Specific objectives
By the end of this course learners will be able to:
1. Identify the types of gender-based violence and their effects on different dimensions of life and development.
2. Analyse the approaches to gender, rights, gender-based violence, and equality.
3. Recognize the international legal human rights instruments related to genderbased violence.
4. Create strategies in order to prevent and eradicate gender-based violence in different levels.

Content
1. Unit 1: Introduction to Gender-based Violence (GBV)
1.1. What is gender? Importance of gender.
1.2. Gender and socialization (social construction of gender)
1.3. Concept of gender, violence and development (and link between those concepts)
1.4. Meaning of gender mainstreaming
2. Unit 2: International Legal Human Rights Instruments Related to GBV
2.1. Human rights perspective of gender: Women and girls rights as human rights
2.2. Universal System for the protection of Human Rights (UN)
2.2.1. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights 2.2.2. The Charter of the United Nations
2.2.3. Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and OP-CEDAW
2.3. Inter-American Human Rights System (OAS)
2.3.1. American Convention of Human Rights (Pact of San Jose)
2.3.2. Charter of the Organization of American States
2.3.3. Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence against Women (Convention of Belém do Pará)
2.4. Other strategies to eradicate gender-based violence
2.4.1. Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action
2.4.2. The United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (The Bangkok Rules)
2.4.3. LGBTIQ+: UN Free and Equal campaign 3. Unit 3: Making a gender difference: case studies of gender
3.1. Women Prisoners: Case of the Miguel Castro-Castro Prison v. Peru (Inter-American Court of Human Rights)
3.2. Intersectionality: Petition Gabriela Blas Blas and her daughter C.B.B. v. Chile (Inter-American Commission on Human Rights)
3.3. Domestic Violence: The case of Maria da Penha v. Brazil (the CEDAW Committee)
3.4. Sexual and Reproductive Rights: The Global Gag Rule, an American case

Evaluation
The academic work will be evaluated on the basis of the following assignments:
1. Evaluation 1 (40%): Discussion forum (average of 4/5 online activities). The worst result will be dismissed.
2. Evaluation 2 (40%): Debate (average of 4 synchronized/face-to-face activities).
]3. Evaluation 3 (20%): Reflective Journal. At the end of the course each student might send to the teacher a Reflective Journal, answering three questions after each synchronized/face-to-face class: What was new? Can I identify the problem in my daily life? What can I do to prevent or eradicate this problem?