25 November 2024
Bilbao Campus San Sebastian Campus
As every November 25th, the University of Deusto joins the commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. A date on which the university community reaffirms its explicit commitment to the fight against all forms of gender violence, expresses its strong rejection of these manifestations and advocates for a safe, respectful and inclusive work and study environment where violent attitudes and behaviors have no place.
To make this commitment visible, on November 25, a rally was held on the Bilbao and Donostia-San Sebastian campuses. Rector Juan José Etxeberria, accompanied by María Silvestre from the Equality Unit, was the main speaker at the Bilbao meeting. In his speech, he stressed that male violence is a structural problem of society, unacceptable both in its denial and in the minimization of its seriousness. He stressed that “comments that reject the specificity of male violence, belittle it or attribute it to specific groups (adding xenophobia to male chauvinism) are negationist and harmful to society. These attitudes represent an obstacle to the path that those of us gathered here want to promote, a path that requires identifying the problem and tackling its origin”.
The Rector considers that the University of Deusto is a key agent, both in its educational role and in the field of research, in the fight against violence against women. For this reason, he reaffirmed its firm commitment to the fight against gender violence, which includes its contribution through education in equality, the generation of knowledge to prevent and deal with these cases, and the recent approval of the IV Equality Plan, which incorporates specific measures against gender violence.
The rector added that this year the actions organized to commemorate 25N are carried out under the slogan “For the thousands of silent stories, we raise our voice” and are focused on male violence suffered by women with disabilities. “We have to be aware that there are different vectors of inequality that aggravate the vulnerability of some women as victims of discrimination and violence. Functional diversity is one of them.” To underline this reality, the floor was given to two Deusto students with functional diversity: Edurne González Yáñez and Ainhoa Goti. Rector's speech.
The Equality Unit opens its doors
Among the activities organized, between November 25 and 29 and around the theme: “How much do you know about violence against women with disabilities?”, an online trivia, through Deusto's Instagram, and an informative mural displayed in the hall of the labyrinth of the Bilbao campus. During these same days, in San Sebastian, the activity “Cemetery of victims of gender violence” is taking place, which consists of a small mural to remember and make visible the fatal victims of gender violence in the Basque Country.
In addition, on November 25, a reflection session was held in Bilbao on the film “Three meters above the sky” and on the same day, in San Sebastian, a practical dynamic was developed with students of Social Work and Social Education on “Keys to intervention in violence against women: new forms of intervention through artificial intelligence and txatbot”.
Likewise, on November 26, in Bilbao, and on November 28, in San Sebastian, there will be open days to learn about the activities carried out by the University's Equality Unit. The Week also includes a video forum, on November 26 in Bilbao, on “Male violence against women with disabilities”, by Aurora Madariaga, director of the Chair of Leisure and Disability”.
Applications to stop violence
Finally, on November 29, in the framework of the conference “Artificial intelligence: opportunities and challenges for gender violence” that will be held from 10:30 to 12:00 hours at the headquarters of bbk-kune (C/Urazurrutia, 3, Bilbao), the results of the study “Artificial intelligence: opportunities and challenges for gender violence”, conducted by InteRED and the Deusto Social Values Team, will be presented.
This research analyzes the use and possible usefulness that computer applications can have in the early detection of gender violence suffered by women. For this purpose, the assessment made by several women who have used an InteRED app designed for this purpose has been collected and experts in the field of gender violence care have been asked.
The study concludes that, although it is possible to anticipate possible potentialities in the use of AI in the prevention and protection of violence suffered by women, it is also important to pay attention to the existing risks and the reproduction of gender biases in its use.
More information Deusto Agenda
