Gender violence in young couples is a ubiquitous phenomenon in the current context, in the same way that the presence of abusive behaviour, exclusion or mistreatment of LGTBI people can be observed.
Violence in intimate partner relationships during adolescence and early youth can take different forms and intensities. Initially subtle, but later there may be serious, overt and direct forms of abuse and violence. The myth of romantic love, gender socialisation within a hetero-patriarchal system and the culture of violence in our society provide an excellent breeding ground for abusive relationships between young people.
Both in schools and within families, friends, the media, etc., adolescents and young people receive and internalise a multitude of messages about coexistence, as well as relationships and manners in which reality can be interpreted.
Prevention in the classroom is a key factor in stopping male violence. For this reason, together with ABD (Asociación Bienestar y Desarrollo) we have started a research project with the aim of creating pedagogical materials for specialised workshops aimed at students in secondary schools and training centres in Catalonia.
Six audiovisual pieces have been created for the project, with these mainly focusing on issues such as sexual and gender diversity, gender violence, toxic relationships, sexualities and love, and sexist advertising, among other topics. All of this is aimed at preventing abuse among peers and harassment.
For the research and preparation of these materials, a series of workshops have been organised involving ABD professionals specialised in gender and violence, researchers specialised in design and communication, and BAU students who have participated in workshops on the creation of materials. In this way, a set of innovative pedagogical tools and materials have been generated for deployment in the classroom.
