UniversidaddeCádiz

The Director General for Equality, Paqui Bernal, highlighted the strengthened collaboration with other institutions and the importance of extending the 25N activities across all four campuses.

The University of Cádiz has joined this week’s events marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, with a public reading of the manifesto issued by the Network of Gender Equality Units for University Excellence (RUIGEU), as well as numerous activities organised both independently and in collaboration with other institutions.

The main event was the reading of the manifesto, coordinated by the UCA Equality Unit. The session took place in the Argüelles Hall of the Constitución de 1812 Building and was streamed live to enable the entire university community to follow it. The reading featured contributions from María Rosa Durán, lecturer in the Department of Mathematics; María Sánchez Hinojosa, student at the Faculty of Nursing and Physiotherapy; Paqui Bernal, Director General for Equality; and Mariví Martínez, Manager of the University of Cádiz.

Throughout the reading, key data were highlighted to underscore the persistent reality of gender-based violence as a serious violation of human rights. According to the manifesto, 11% of women living in Spain—over two million—have suffered physical violence from a partner or former partner, and 40.4%—more than eight million—have experienced sexual harassment at some point in their lives. These figures, the text emphasises, “reflect the magnitude and persistence of a structural reality that demands a collective societal response.”

The manifesto also warned of a decline in support for feminism among young people, as indicated in the Youth in Spain Report 2024, and drew attention to the growth of digital violence among university students, which perpetuates new forms of aggression through online and virtual environments.

Reference was also made to the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action, recalling that the fight for gender equality remains a pressing challenge that requires firm institutional commitment. In this line, RUIGEU called for increased resources for equality units and defended their essential role as “basic structures of the LOSU” in advancing toward a more inclusive, safe, and just university for all. The text concluded with a clear statement: “Against violence, not one step back.”

The UCA’s Director General for Equality, Paqui Bernal, highlighted the active role of the institution in this extensive programme: “The University of Cádiz is strongly present in the activities organised for 25N. This includes both our own events—such as seminars and the reading of the manifesto—and joint initiatives with other institutions and associations, because what matters is working together. And we are doing so across all four University campuses.”

The calendar of activities began on 20 and 21 November at the Bahía de Algeciras Campus with the 6th Congress on Violence: The Comprehensive Act against Gender Violence: Assessment and Challenges, an academic and legal event organised by the Victoria Kent Progressive Women’s Association in collaboration with the UCA Equality Unit. The congress took place at the School of Engineering and was also streamed online.

At the same time, from 21 to 28 November, the Faculty of Arts and Humanities on the Cádiz Campus has been hosting two participatory installations focused on reflection and critical expression. At the main entrance hall, Say it loud. How do we end gender violence? invites the university community to share messages against male violence. Meanwhile, in the Juan López Courtyard, a display of quotations by women and men writers is exhibited under the motto Not one step back!, an initiative aimed at giving visibility to voices committed to equality.

Events from Tuesday onwards – 25N

In addition to the reading of the manifesto, the 25N programme also included two in-person activities on the Cádiz Campus. At 14:00, in the Juan López Courtyard of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, the feminist micro-story reading Enough! took place, an action organised by the Faculty’s Equality Liaison and its Dean’s Office. Later in the afternoon, at 19:00, the Cádiz Press Association hosted the round table Reporting without Harm: Challenges for Journalism in Addressing Gender-Based Violence, featuring María Acale Sánchez, Lorena Montero and Celia Cerrudo, organised in collaboration with the Cádiz Government Sub-delegation and the UCA Equality Unit.

On 26 November, the programme began with the lecture Eliminating Violence against Women: A Human Rights Issue, delivered by Francisca Fuentes from 9:30 to 11:00 at the Faculty of Labour Sciences. That same day, the awareness workshop Affective-Sexual and Gender Diversity was held in two sessions: on Wednesday 26 in the Graduate Hall and on Thursday 27 in Room 1, both from 11:45 to 12:45. The day concluded at 18:00 with the 3rd Round Table on Violence against Women in Sport, given by Vanesa España Romero in the press room of the Nuevo Mirandilla stadium.

On 28 November at 11:00, the Faculty of Medicine will host the lecture Violence and Health: An Analysis of the Impact on Women Victims, delivered by Elena Vizcaya López and organised by the Municipal Women’s Foundation of the Cádiz City Council in collaboration with the UCA.

Activities in December

The programme of activities extends into December with initiatives that explore a range of perspectives. On 1 December at 9:30, the Faculty of Medicine will host the training session Equality Policies for Women and Men in University Teaching, led by Remedios Menéndez Calvo. Later, at 11:00 in the Aula Magna of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Octavio Salazar Romero will deliver the lecture VIOLENCE MODE OFF: Equality as a Shared Responsibility.

On 3 December at 11:00, the topic of disability will be addressed in the lecture How to Combat Violence against Women with Disabilities, given by Vanesa Hervías Parejo at the Faculty of Labour Sciences. On 4 December, the Bolívar Room of the Constitución 1812 Building will host the lecture Cinema as a Tool in the Fight against Gender Violence, presented by Raquel Romero Holgado.

On 5 December, the Faculty of Nursing and Physiotherapy will host the talk Gender Violence as a Public Health Issue, delivered by Lorena Tarriño Concejero at 11:00. The programme will conclude on 10 December with a lecture by journalist Ana Bernal Triviño, who will present Journalism and Gender-Based Violence: How to Debunk Misinformation at 18:30 in the Aula Magna of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.

As for the campus-based events, the Jerez Campus will host on 27 November the seminar Sexual Violence: An Analysis of Reality and Proposals for Intervention, from 10:30 to 13:45 in the Offices and Seminars Building, organised by the Jerez City Council in collaboration with the UCA. For its part, the Puerto Real Campus held on 13 November the screening and discussion of The Weight of Absence, and on 27 November from 12:00 to 13:30 at the Faculty of Education, it will also host the session Everyday Sexual Violence, in collaboration with the Páginas Violeta Association.

Beyond the university setting, the University of Cádiz is also collaborating in the round table Caring Perspectives: Towards a Comprehensive Assessment and Response to Gender-Based Violence, organised by the City Council of San Fernando. This will take place on 27 November at the local Congress Centre and will feature contributions from Natalia Hidalgo Ruzzante, Inmaculada Teva Álvarez and Violeta Luque Ribelles.

These activities reflect the institutional commitment of the UCA to gender equality and the eradication of violence against women. Framed within its Third Equality Plan, they involve equality liaisons, faculty teams, academic staff, administrative and service personnel, students, and local associations. Through this programme, the University of Cádiz not only reaffirms its stance as a space free from gender-based violence, but also promotes sustained efforts in awareness-raising, training and social transformation within the academic and university community.