University of Ecuador launches academic crusade against gender violence

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The University of the Americas (UDLA) of Ecuador launched a crusade from the academy against gender violence that includes several free events open to the public to commemorate the 25th International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

In a statement issued on Monday (22), the Quito-based University launched the III Gender Focus Week, in which the School of Psychology and Education will analyze with a broad agenda of programs the different areas of prevention of gender violence.

Read also: Check out our coverage on Ecuador

On the occasion of the International Day, an event will be held on Thursday (25) at the UDLAPark campus, located in the north of the Ecuadorian capital, where the artistic exhibition ‘Together for a Life Free of Violence’, which seeks to promote ‘reflection and awareness’ on the subject, will be exhibited.

The project is led by the Clinical Psychology career and through social networks will be transmitted throughout this week.

The academic coordinator of UDLA’s Clinical Psychology degree, Paula Yépez, considered important the role of the academy in eradicating gender violence, “because studying it allows to unveil the relational systems that generate it, being able to have an impact on improving the quality of life of people.”

The events promoted by the university will begin each day with a round table discussion on different topics: Exploring different types of violence; predictors and interventions in gender violence; social movements with a gender perspective, gender and art; diverse childhood and adolescence, among others.

Experts from Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Spain, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Dominican Republic and Mexico will participate.

So far this year, Ecuador has registered 105 fatal female victims of male violence, according to the Aldea Foundation, part of the Alliance for the Monitoring and Mapping of Femicides in the Andean country.

However, the Judiciary Council in its portal Femicidios Ec, records 57 gender-related deaths so far in 2021, which points to a possible underreporting caused by the lack of prosecution of all cases or that these are not considered femicides, which is denounced by civil society organizations.