The launch of a survey for Latin American universities marks the commemoration of the International Day Against Violence Against Women

Violence against women (VAW) is a universal phenomenon and higher education institutions (HEIs), where female enrollment and participation have increased significantly, are not the exception to this situation. On November 25, to mark the International Day Against Violence Against Women, UNESCO IESALC convenes women from higher education institutions in the region to take part in a regional campaign that seeks to understand better whether and how female students, professors, and staff have experienced violence as part of their campus life.

By answering to this survey, the participants will support the analysis of the current status of violence against women in academia and the availability of institutional mechanisms to address this issue. This initiative aims to promote and establish strong guidelines at HEIs worldwide as a guiding principle for building nonviolent and more sustainable tertiary education systems.

This anonymous and confidential survey is addressed to students and staff who self-identify as women, including those whose gender identity or orientation differs from the sex assigned at birth, including transwomen. The survey will be open to the participants until 31 January, 2023.

The project intends to support policymakers, HEIs, civil society, and other interest actors by offering UNESCO’s guidelines on responding to and preventing violence against women in the tertiary education sector.