Dialogic Feminist Gathering and the Prevention of Gender Violence in Girls With Intellectual Disabilities

Abstract

Adolescent gender-based violence prevention and sexuality education is a topic of current concern given the increasing numbers of violence directed at girls. International organizations indicate that one in three girls aged 15 to 19 have experienced gender-based violence in their sexual relationships that this risk may be as much as 3–4 times higher for girls with disabilities. Following the good results obtained in the research project “Free_Teen_Desire” led by the University of Cambridge and funded by the Marie Curie Actions Program in the prevention of gender violence in adolescents through Dialogic Feminist Gatherings (DFG), the aim of study is to analyze Its transfer and impact on adolescent girls with intellectual disabilities. The DFGs are here understood as generators of a more dialogic environment for girls in general and we wonder if and how It is extended to the context of girls with disabilities. Thus, the research takes the form of a case study with a communicative approach on a DFGs. The intervention is carried out in a special school located in Valencia during the 2018–2019 and 2019–2020 academic years with a group of 19 non-mixed female students, female teachers, and the mother of one of the students. The study analyzes which are the transfer criteria to incorporate the DFGs in a special education context and what is their impact on the prevention of gender violence in girls with disabilities. The data collection techniques consist of two in-depth interviews, analysis of the field diary of 24 intervention sessions and a focus group with seven teachers. It is demonstrated that DFGs are successfully transferred to the special education context of the case study. The results show how contexts of safety, solidarity and friendship are generated which protect adolescent girls with disabilities from relationships with gender violence.

The Right to Sexuality, Reproductive Health, and Found a Family for People with Intellectual Disability: A Systematic Review

“…Five studies were included [ 129 , 130 , 131 , 132 , 133 ]. Spain stands out as the country with the highest number of interventions ( n = 2.).…”

“…The fourth intervention with people with ID [ 130 ] created feminist dialogue groups, which were found to have a positive impact on the lives of adolescent girls with ID, specifically by promoting preventive interactions that would protect them from gender-based violence in their relationships.…”

From Bystanders to Upstanders: Supporters and Key Informants for Victims of Gender Violence

“…ProWomenDialogue set up spaces to dialogue not only with female academics and researchers, but also brought into these spaces the voices of the ‘Other women’ [ 37 ], who, due to not having university degrees, have been traditionally left at the margins of traditional feminist debates. This term is what dialogic feminism refers to [ 38 ]. The ‘Other women’ movement has been essential in the struggle against sexual harassment in universities as, differently from other existing movements within universities, they have neither feared reprisals, nor been subdued by those who had power positions and were harassers, abusing their power and privilege.…”

Digital Technologies and Interventions Against Gender-Based Violence in Rural Areas

“…Similar to Pulido et al (2014), above, de Mello et al (2021 found that talking to peers can influence preferences for various models of masculinity. Communicative interactions also reduce or eliminate the coercive pressure exerted in peer groups (de Mello et al, 2021).…”