Initiatives of community universities in the South Region of Brazil in preventing and confronting gender-based violence against women

Abstract

Introduction: Community Higher Education Institutions (ICES) carry out important social actions for the regional development of the communities in which they operate, which also impact the quality of their students' academic education. Objective: This article aims to highlight the initiatives of the ICES of the Southern Region of Brazil for the prevention and confrontation of gender violence against women. Methodology: This is a qualitative, documentary research, whose data were collected through the survey of news on the subject on the portals of community universities in the three states of the Southern Region of Brazil, with the period from 2019 to 2022 as a time frame. For data treatment, Bardin's (2016) content analysis technique was used. Results: A total of 235 news items were mapped that recorded actions on the themes of gender and violence, which were categorized into two groups: i) actions open to the university's external public; ii) actions for the academic community. Conclusion: It is concluded that the ICES have been committed to carrying out actions to prevent and combat gender violence, which are fundamental for the academic training of students. However, actions aimed at the academic community are still incipient and it is necessary to invest in this direction, since violence also occurs in university spaces.