Developing an Art-Based Public Engagement and Advocacy Model for Transforming Social Norms on Gender-Based Violence in the Andean Region (ARTS-CHANGE)
Lead Research Organisation:
Keele University
Department Name: Faculty of Natural Sciences
Abstract
ARTS-CHANGE reviews the existing evidence on gender based violence (GBV), learns from the experiences of the victims across the gender spectrum, co-develops new research, and co-creates art-based interventions to curb GVB and capacitate care and advocacy.
According to United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Latin America represents the 81% of global cases of gender based violence (GBV) globally. Four countries - Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia- that are connected via Andean mountains and form the Andean group of countries stand out. In Colombia and Peru, women, LGBTQIA+, and even men have been victimized by GBV perpetuated during the past and ongoing military conflicts. In Peru feminicide affects all women irrespective of level of education, age, and regions (ECLAC, 2022). In Bolivia, 2 out 3 women faces GBV. Ecuador declines to undersign to protect refugee rights concerning 500k Venezuelan refugees' half of which are young girls and women. Reports by various governmental and non-governmental agencies and our interviews with experts (Marcela Huaita MH, former Minister of Women-Peru and current president of experts' commission of Follow-up Mechanism to the Belém do Pará Convention-MESECVI; Karen Lopez Tello, KLT special adviser to the Ministry of Inclusion, Peru) reveal that GBV in these countries ranges from mild bullying at schools to sexual harassment to feminicide and armed conflict related GBV (ECLAC, 2022). Despite comprehensive legislation and regulations to eradicate it, GBV continues to impact millions of females and LGBTQIA+ individuals in these countries. Moreover, three recent challenges have dramatically hampered the attempts. First, the COVID-19 pandemic created inescapable conditions for the victims. Second, local contexts (e.g. the ongoing conflict in Colombia, lack of resources, corruption, inefficient legal systems) have so far permitted the perpetrators to weaponise sexual violence as a repressive tool and enjoy unaccountability. Third, and most importantly, the Venezuelan refugee crisis, have created severely disadvantaged and vulnerable groups in all four countries. According to UNCHR Colombia hosts the highest number of Venezuelan refugees 2,5 million, Peru 1,5 million, and Ecuador 500 k, respectively. Despite these differences, all four countries also share some characteristics. For instance, suffer from very low levels of state capacity resulting from unequal political and economic structures as well civil and interstate conflicts and diverse geographies which further exacerbate the consequences of GBV. More importantly, LGBTQIA+ communities and non-binary individuals suffer from restrictions to access healthcare, legal system, education, abuse by authorities, sextortion, and direct violence despite legal advances in all four countries (Reuters, 2020). Taken together, these have stretched the societal pressure and the resources to unsustainable levels and have triggered a GBV crisis with catastrophic consequences. This presents one of the most urgent health and societal challenges in the Andean region.
Accordingly, the project aims to (a) establish an interdisciplinary and multi-actor (victims, researchers, NGOs, and governmental actors) taskforce to identify roots of GBV in the culturally and societal specific context; b) based on the findings, to co-create a conceptual framework that considers the historical and present day conditions that perpetuate GBV in all four countries and across the entire gender spectrum with the involvement of both historically (women, young girls, indigenous peoples, armed conflict victims) and more recent (LGBTQIA+ and refugee groups) groups affected by it; c) co-develop art (performative or otherwise) based interventions to reduce GVB and support the victims' recovery.
According to United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Latin America represents the 81% of global cases of gender based violence (GBV) globally. Four countries - Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia- that are connected via Andean mountains and form the Andean group of countries stand out. In Colombia and Peru, women, LGBTQIA+, and even men have been victimized by GBV perpetuated during the past and ongoing military conflicts. In Peru feminicide affects all women irrespective of level of education, age, and regions (ECLAC, 2022). In Bolivia, 2 out 3 women faces GBV. Ecuador declines to undersign to protect refugee rights concerning 500k Venezuelan refugees' half of which are young girls and women. Reports by various governmental and non-governmental agencies and our interviews with experts (Marcela Huaita MH, former Minister of Women-Peru and current president of experts' commission of Follow-up Mechanism to the Belém do Pará Convention-MESECVI; Karen Lopez Tello, KLT special adviser to the Ministry of Inclusion, Peru) reveal that GBV in these countries ranges from mild bullying at schools to sexual harassment to feminicide and armed conflict related GBV (ECLAC, 2022). Despite comprehensive legislation and regulations to eradicate it, GBV continues to impact millions of females and LGBTQIA+ individuals in these countries. Moreover, three recent challenges have dramatically hampered the attempts. First, the COVID-19 pandemic created inescapable conditions for the victims. Second, local contexts (e.g. the ongoing conflict in Colombia, lack of resources, corruption, inefficient legal systems) have so far permitted the perpetrators to weaponise sexual violence as a repressive tool and enjoy unaccountability. Third, and most importantly, the Venezuelan refugee crisis, have created severely disadvantaged and vulnerable groups in all four countries. According to UNCHR Colombia hosts the highest number of Venezuelan refugees 2,5 million, Peru 1,5 million, and Ecuador 500 k, respectively. Despite these differences, all four countries also share some characteristics. For instance, suffer from very low levels of state capacity resulting from unequal political and economic structures as well civil and interstate conflicts and diverse geographies which further exacerbate the consequences of GBV. More importantly, LGBTQIA+ communities and non-binary individuals suffer from restrictions to access healthcare, legal system, education, abuse by authorities, sextortion, and direct violence despite legal advances in all four countries (Reuters, 2020). Taken together, these have stretched the societal pressure and the resources to unsustainable levels and have triggered a GBV crisis with catastrophic consequences. This presents one of the most urgent health and societal challenges in the Andean region.
Accordingly, the project aims to (a) establish an interdisciplinary and multi-actor (victims, researchers, NGOs, and governmental actors) taskforce to identify roots of GBV in the culturally and societal specific context; b) based on the findings, to co-create a conceptual framework that considers the historical and present day conditions that perpetuate GBV in all four countries and across the entire gender spectrum with the involvement of both historically (women, young girls, indigenous peoples, armed conflict victims) and more recent (LGBTQIA+ and refugee groups) groups affected by it; c) co-develop art (performative or otherwise) based interventions to reduce GVB and support the victims' recovery.
