Campaign to Prevent Violence in Adolescent Relationships

15 January 2007

Under the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence campaign (November 25 � December 12, 2006), the Centre for Education, Counselling and Research (CESI), in cooperation with a number of secondary schools in Croatia, implemented the You Have 100% Right to Non-Violence � Prevention of Violence in Adolescent Relationships campaign.

The campaign aimed to increase the youth awareness, improve recognition and understanding of violence in relationships and emphasize the importance of prevention.

For many young men and women, adolescence is the time of first emotional/sexual relationships, but also a time of various expectations regarding their gender identities. The adolescent experience differs between boys and girls in many important aspects, having in mind that the very concept of adolescence is a masculine construct opposed to femininity.

According to that concept, the girls shouldn�t behave as typical adolescents � whimsy, unabated, rebellious � because it means questioning the dictate of femininity. Being a �rebel� means, in that light, not being woman enough, therefore, in collision with stereotyped female gender role. An important aspect of the stereotyped male role in adolescence is turning women and girls into sexist objects. Young men that don�t exhibit sexist behaviour face the risk to be declared �weak� and discriminated by their peers.

Gender relations were/are, in most cases, relations of domination of men over women. One direct consequence of such unequal relations is the emergence of gender-based violence, i.e., speaking of youth � violence in adolescent relationships.

Under the campaign, the schools implemented a series of activities: education (workshops and lectures), street actions, press-conferences and sports games. The campaign also used CESI�s manuals, posters and leaflets with information designed to help the youth recognize various forms of violence � physical, sexual and emotional. In addition, a number of schools involved in the campaign produced their own promotional materials.

In every school, a number of teachers of ethics, Croatian language and literature, arts and design, psychologists, pedagogues, librarians and headmasters took part in the preparation of materials and implementation of activities. During the implementation of the campaign, the schools connected and cooperated with the local community, various associations and institutions.

During the campaign, over 10,000 students, parents and teachers were informed, through distribution of posters and leaflets, about the problem of violence in adolescent relationships.