Complexity: Level 2


Time: 60 minutes


Group size: 8 to 30


Download the handout


Download the activity

Which genders are you?

Objectives

• To understand the meaning of gender-based violence recognise and be able to recognise different types of gender-based violence
• To discuss the impact of gender-based violence on those affected by it and on society as a whole
• To consider the question of personal responsibility in relation to occurrences of gender-based violence

Materials

• Copies of stories (one story per group)
• Flipchart paper

Preparation

Make copies of the stories that can be found at the end of this activity. Prepare two pieces of flipchart paper, with the headings “Consequences on victims” and ”Consequences on society”. You may also want to read the section “types of gender-based violence“.

Instructions

1) Ask participants if they have heard of gender-based violence. Discuss this briefly with the group, exploring the different examples of gender-based violence which exist. You may also provide participants with a definition of gender-based violence.

2) Tell participants that they will work in small groups of 4-5 people to discuss a brief story. They should read the text and answer the questions at the end. Hand out one story to each group and give them about 20 minutes to discuss the cases.

3) Once this part of the work is completed, ask the groups to come together and present their answers. They should begin by reading the story aloud. Allow other groups to comment on the group’s results. If the groups are unclear about the types of gender-based violence present in the story, you may need to provide the answers yourself.

4) When the groups present their answers to the questions about the impact of violence on the victims and on society, write these down on the pieces of flipchart paper. After each presentation, read the summarised answers back to the whole group and ask if they would like to add or change anything.

Debriefing and evaluation

Begin this part of the activity with participants’ general impressions of the activity and then discuss the consequences of gender-based violence and what participants can do to prevent it.

• What do you think about the activity? How did you feel doing it?
• Had you heard about all the different types of gender-based violence presented in the stories? Was there anything surprising for you?
• Was there anything common to different groups’ responses to the impact of gender-based violence?
• Why does gender-based violence have consequences for the whole of society?
• What causes gender-based violence? Who is to blame?
• Which human rights are violated in case of gender-based violence?
• What can be done to put an end to such violence, and who can help to bring such a change about?
• What can you do to prevent this type of violence, and how can we all act against it?

Tips for the facilitator

This activity is based on an activity from Bookmarks – Understanding hate speech. The stories in this activity can easily be modified, and facilitators are encouraged to adapt them to local context, where necessary. Some stories include more than one type of violence (e.g. Story 4 – verbal violence, hate speech, physical violence, hate crime).

Pay attention to this when explaining the types of violence: very often different types happen together at the same time. Try also to address the issue of intersectionality, when someone suffers from violence and discrimination on multiple grounds – as in the first story (gender and disability).

Participants are deliberately not introduced to different types of gender-based violence at the beginning of the activity: the discussions aim to explore what they already know on the topic. If you think this will be too difficult for participants, you could make a list of different types of gender-based violence on the flipchart and show this to them before they work on the stories.

We use the word “victim” in this activity, which is a word with certain negative connotations. Some people prefer to use other terms, such as: person targeted by violence or affected by violence. However, the word victim is used in several international human rights instruments, for example in the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence. The Explanatory report to the Convention specifies: “The term ‘victim’ refers to both victims of violence against women, and victims of domestic violence, as defined in Article 3 (a) and Article 3 (b) respectively. While only women, including girls, can be victims of violence against women, victims of domestic violence may include men and women as well as children.”

Make sure to emphasise that the only person responsible for violence is the perpetrator. It is never the victim’s fault!

Suggestions for follow-up

If you want to explore further the question of violence in relationships, you could try the activity “Kati’s story”. Violence in online gaming is addressed in the activity “Changing the game” from Bookmarks, in which participants devise a small campaign against sexism in online games. Or you could explore further the topic of economic violence, using an activity in Compass called “Different wages”. This is a simulation activity that confronts people with the realities of the labour market, addressing issues such as different wages for the same job, discrimination in the workplace and policies of low pay for young workers.

You could also present key points from the Council of Europe’s Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence. You can find a shortened version of the Convention in the Resources section.

Ideas for action

On the basis of answers provided by the participants to the last question of the debriefing, ask participants what they would like to do as a group in order to prevent or act against gender-based violence. Develop a plan together, and then carry out the action.