Stories of gender-based violence

Duration of activity: 45-60 min (depending on how many scenarios will be discussed)

Learning objectives:

To help young people:
Gain a more in-depth understanding of gender-based violence, its different manifestations and the causes behind it
Understand the impact of abuse and develop empathy for those who experience it
Explore power dynamics and the fact that abuse of power is an option
Dispel victim blaming attitudes
Discuss ways of addressing abusive attitudes and behaviours in their environments.

Materials needed:

Copies of the scenarios as handouts for the group
Flipchart paper, flipchart stand and markers

Recommended prior reading:

Step by step process of the activity:

Explain that we will now have the chance to explore GBV a bit further through some personal stories. Our aim is to understand why the violence arose and how it affected the person experiencing it.
Select which of the scenarios you will use beforehand, according to what appears to be more fitting and more relevant to the context of your target group.
Before you begin with the activity include a small ‘content warning’ so that participants can be aware and prepare themselves in advance. This can be along the lines of: “The manifestations in the scenarios we will discuss range in severity and some more severe forms of GBV are also depicted in the stories such as physical attacks, FGM and physical harm. While such cases can be upsetting, at the same time, they represent reality and it is important that we also talk about these cases too. Please remember that this is a safe space where we can engage bravely, empathetically, thoughtfully and respectfully with sensitive content. I’m reminding everyone of their right to ‘pass’ and the right to take care of yourselves in any way you need”
Divide young people in smaller groups of 4-6 people, using a fun, interactive energizer
Hand out a different story to each of the small groups
Invite young people to read the stories and then discuss the questions in their groups (20 min)
As the groups are working on the task, go around the groups and help out, prompt the group with questions to provide food for thought or just observe what is going on.
Come back to plenary and ask each group to very briefly summarize the plot of their scenario and their group discussion. (5-10 min)
Open up the discussion with the entire group using the debriefing questions below.

Facilitation questions for reflection and debriefing: (20-30 min)

What types of violence (e.g. isolation, threats, online shaming, physical violence, sexual harassment etc.) were the people in the stories subjected to? Please provide examples.
Was this type of violence gender-based? Why?
Why do you think the people in the stories experienced these types of abusive behaviour? (If not mentioned, probe for peer reinforcement, social stigma, normative beliefs about gender and sexuality, hierarchies of power, harmful cultural practices, victim blaming, GBV as ‘acceptable’ or ‘normal’ behaviour, ‘just a joke’, other people not intervening etc)
What assumptions did you make about the person who received the abuse? Do you think they provoked their ‘punishment’ in any way?
Did they share the blame for what happened?
What were the people exercising the violence trying to achieve with their behaviour?
How do you think the people who experience the abuse feel?
What relationships of power did you observe? Who has power in these situations? Why?
What can the person who is being abused do? What might stop them from speakingout or taking action?
If you were their friend, how would you help them? What would you advise them to do?

Take home messages and activity wrap up:

Gender-based violence is unfortunately quite common and often overlooked because it has been normalized. This, though, does not mean that it is right.

Gender-based violence is incredibly hurtful and has a negative impact on the people who experience it.

Acts of violence are the conscious choice of the person who exercises the violence (abusers have the option of dealing with the situation different but often opt to act abusively as an effort to show their domination and power). No-one can provoke violence with their behaviour, appearance or the way they express their gender identity or sexuality.

Gender-based violence is the result of power dynamics which create social inequalities, placing some groups of people in a more disadvantaged or vulnerable position (such as women, LGBTIQ+ individuals, sex workers, individuals that belong to ethnic minorities, people with disability etc.)

Sometimes people experience multiple characteristics that may increase their vulnerability to violence because they experience multiple discriminations all at once. This is called intersectionality. The more intersections a person experiences the more likely it is to experience less avenues to protection and safety from SGBV, as exit strategies or access to services, justice and redress may be compromised in lieu of social stigma, discrimination, isolation, marginalization, retribution and even persecution on account of certain identities.  In the story of Toni for instance, being from an ethnic minority and a sex worker places her at a significantly vulnerable position, because this compromises her exit strategies and her avenues towards safety (especially since the police are reluctant to support her).

Violence only stops with an intervention. Silence, impartiality or denial only perpetuates the problem and does not break the cycle of violence. An intervention could include assertive behaviour, putting boundaries, challenging the behaviour as unacceptable, asking from a (another) trusted adult to intervene, reporting the violence to the authorities, referrals to state services that can offer support or immediate protection, (social services, health services, refugee services etc) seeking support from online support services or helplines,  reporting sensitive/abusive content to social media administrators and asking that it is taken out.

An important thing to note is the fact that young people may unintentionally develop perceptions that stigmatise survivors of GBV by feeling sorry for them, or considering that because of the difficulties they experience in relation to violence, they are unhappy or may not be able to be successful in their lives. To counteract these perceptions, discuss the resilience of survivors and the fact that people who have experienced SGBV do overcome it and can, and often do, have very fulfilling lives. Acknowledgement of people’s diverse experiences of violence does not mean that we need to feel sorry for them or consider them as disadvantaged; the aim of remaining mindful of  different experiences of violence is to be sensitized to react with respect, acceptance, inclusion and most importantly support so as to ensure that everyone’s human rights are safeguarded.

Similarly, certain communities may be stigmatized for cultural practices such as FGM or child marriage. Remind participants that these are very sensitive issues for certain groups and encourage them to avoid any characterizations as these may be hurtful for some people (‘under-developed’, ‘backward’ etc.). Equally, in all their ‘supremacy’, the western world equally fosters similar practices that violate other people’s bodies, such as the mutilation of intersex babies, forcing women with disability to stop menstruating or to have forced abortions, femicides etc.

Tips for facilitators and sensitive issues

The most important learning point from this activity is that gender-based violence is never the survivor’s fault – it is a choice that people who exercise violence make. Normalized victim-blaming attitudes often make this  hard to acknowledge. It is likely that young people may blame Anita for behaving in what they  perceive as a ‘sexually provocative’ manner. Or Hector and David for expressing their gender identity differently, in a ‘feminine’ way. Or Toni for being a sex worker and having the ‘audacity’ to live among ‘decent’ people. Likely Matilda may be blamed for being disrespectful towards her father and Jorge for ‘boasting’ about his ‘different’ family.

While managing the discussion, you need to encourage young people to challenge the notion that the violence described in the scenarios was in some way justified. You can provide the following definition of violence: violence= a desire to hurt + a harmful action + a power imbalance + an unjust use of power + evident enjoyment by the aggressor and generally a sense of being oppressed on the part of the person experiencing the abuse and ask them to identify how this equation was reflected in the stories.

You can also refer to the previous session on gender norms to reinforce the notion that every individual has the right to be respected regardless of how much they choose to/seem to ‘fit in’ with normalized perceptions about gender, gender identity and sexuality. It is also important to help young people make the link between the violence depicted in the stories with power differentials experienced due the disadvantaged/vulnerable position people are placed because of their gender and sexual diversity.

Sensitive issues:

This activity may cause some emotional discomfort to participants. Remember that you do not necessarily know “who is in the room”. Some people may have experienced violence in the past, so it is important  for them to feel safe in the room during the exercise.

Before you begin this activity, remind the group of the group agreement re safe space. Also remind the participants that no one is required to share personal or sensitive information about themselves or discuss incidents that they do not feel comfortable to do so. They can only reveal things that they feel comfortable talking about. Invite everyone to treat what others have to say with sensitivity and respect, without judgement. Also remind them of the need for confidentiality.

Try to maintain the discussion in a  general, non-personal manner so that even if someone has personal experiences of abuse, can distance themselves from it. For instance, say ‘Why do some people experience abuse?’

Finally, in the event that a person does disclose that they are survivors of gender-based violence, ensure that they have access to information on people/helplines/services that can support them. If disclosure takes place, the first step is to listen to the young person and acknowledge their feelings, with empathy, openness and no judgement. Then remind them that they do not have to go through this alone and connect them to services or people who can support them. If you are conducting the workshop in a school or a university, these services can be provided by the school nurse, counsellor or social worker.  You can even contact these professionals beforehand an let them know that you’re facilitating this workshop so they are prepared to help if necessary. You can also urge young people to speak with peers or with adults they trust and to contact local support agencies , helplines, chart rooms or psychological support services that have expert knowledge on gender-based violence.

More information on handling disclosures of abuse can be found in section 5.8

Tips for adapting the activity and follow up:

You can use as many of the stories as you sit fit and relevant for your context. Also feel free to adapt the stories for relevancy to your target groups.

Adapting the activity for online implementation

● Similarly to activity 10.5 ‘Is it Gender-based Violence’, you could substitute breakout rooms for face-to-face small groups.

● If the option of breakout rooms is not feasible, you can send the worksheet to participants via the chat, give them some time to go through the scenarios individually and then convene in plenary for a discussion and wrap up.

● You can also present each scenario on PowerPoint and discuss in plenary. Pay attention though that the discussion remains succinct as a too long plenary discussion can become more tiring for participants.

● The scenarios are a bit too long to be turned into a digital quiz as they are. However, if you would like to use an online quiz for these scenarios, you could first present the scenario in plenary and then include some of the questions at the bottom in the online quiz. Some of the questions may need to be reformulated to closed-ended questions, presented with some possible answers to choose from.

● Remember to ground the discussion and the learning with a reflection and the key messages , paying attention to ensuring a safe space for participants.