The government delegate in Cantabria, Eugenia Gómez de Diego, and the rector of the University of Cantabria (UC), Ángel Pazos, signed on Wednesday an agreement to strengthen the fight against gender violence and promote the values of equality between men and women through training and awareness-raising activities.
The UC also joins the network of Violeta Points promoted by the Government Delegation in Cantabria, which makes it a benchmark of safe space for victims of male violence.
“It is essential that the whole society is involved in the fight against violence against women and in the construction of an egalitarian society. And the University is a key environment to sensitize and train future generations in values of respect and equality,” said Gómez de Diego.
The delegate thanked the rector Ángel Pazos for his interest and initiative to join the network of Violeta Points, which the Government Delegation is extending to public bodies such as the offices of the SEPE or the municipalities of our region. Thus, Gómez de Diego stressed that this collaboration “reinforces the commitment of key institutions such as the University in the progress towards a fairer society.”
The installation of the Violeta Points in public institutions, he added, “is another way to point out that this is not only a women’s problem, but has a structural origin that requires the involvement of the whole of society.”
“After the massive demonstrations of the 25-N, we must remember that the defense of an egalitarian society between men and women and the fight against gender violence cannot be limited to one date. It is a commitment 365 days a year,” said Gómez de Diego, who recalled that since 2003, 1,288 women have been killed for gender violence, and since 2013, 62 boys and girls have lost their lives due to vicarious violence.
For his part, Rector Ángel Pazos stressed that signing this agreement today means “going over what we were already doing and, above all, agreeing with the Government Delegation, which has that responsibility and, therefore, telling him that the University of Cantabria is absolutely committed not only for legal reasons, which is obvious, but for reasons of vocation”.
In this way, Pazos explained that the agreement “is part of the concern of the UC to promote all measures and all paths that lead to equality between men and women and to prevent and, where appropriate, detect any case of gender violence”, within “a strategy in which we have already been working for some time, with our Equality Plan. In fact, we had already taken steps, not only in the placement of the Points, but also in the training of the staff.”
In the signing ceremony of the agreement, held at the headquarters of the university institution, the head of the Unit for the Coordination of Violence against Women of the Government Delegation, Diana Mirones, participated.
Training in cases of male violence
The agreement, valid for two years, does not entail economic commitment and will be developed through concrete actions designed by common agreement at the Santander and Torrelavega campuses.
In particular, the agreement provides for the joint organization of workshops, courses and days aimed at students, university staff and the general public, as well as the dissemination of awareness campaigns on gender violence and equality.
In addition, by joining the Violeta Points Network, university staff have received training on how to respond to the knowledge of a case of male violence in any of its manifestations, so that potential victims of the university community who request it can have basic information about the services and resources of comprehensive care available to them.