University Women Victims of Violence in Academic Space

Abstract

The present research aims to verify views regarding violence against women in the university environment, with university women from a private institution in the interior of the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Through a case study narrative in which a conversation circle was used as a data collection method, between 22 (twenty-two) students from different courses offered by the higher education institution. The results show that 65% of the participants have already suffered some type of violence, of which 52% said they had suffered sexual harassment at university. The participants reveal that they have experienced acts of coercion, intellectual disqualification, moral and psychological aggression in the academic space. They also state that they do not feel safe in the university environment and experience learning difficulties, depression, anxiety, and stress in relation to academic spaces. In this study, it was possible to find information about the patterns of occurrence of these cases, such as: the types of violence, the places where they occur and the characteristics of the aggressors, which helps to identify risk areas and develop strategies for prevention and intervention, the to create a safer and more equal environment for all women in the university context.