The 25N act: the event's details

he Conference Room of the Rectorate was filled with attendees for the commemoration of 25N on 29 November at 12h. The Secretary General, Esther Zapater, began by answering the question everyone was asking themselves: why was the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women being commemorated four days later? Esther Zapater answered: “Why not? The 25th is indeed an important day to raise awareness, but we need to work towards the eradication of male chauvinist violence every day of the year. Moreover, we need to do it as a network, as a community”. The Secretary General insisted that male chauvinist violence happens in “all areas and in different expressions”, which is why its eradication “is a question of women’s human rights”. “Raising awareness and training on male chauvinist violence is a work that occupies us at the UAB. We have been working for a long time at the UAB Observatory for Equality and, for this reason, it is one of the essential axes of our Equality Plans”, explains Zapater. She also remarked that the UAB’s objective is “to form a community while destroying stereotypes and building awareness of unquestionable values”. 

The director of the Observatory for Equality, Maria Prats, continued by introducing the figure of the equality delegates. “The main purpose of the equality delegates is to become the persons of reference among the student body in terms of gender and LGBTI issues”, described Maria Prats. The figure of the equality delegates became effective in 2020-2021, within the framework of the 4th Equality Plan. It is a measure promoted and coordinated by the Community Involvement Unit with the Observatory for Equality. The equality delegates are part of the working group of equality delegates of the Observatory for Equality and, at the same time, it is proposed that they be incorporated into the equality commissions of each faculty. They also participate in the student council, where they contribute to the gender perspective. At the moment, we have 30 equality delegates, who have received training in gender issues. 

The equality delegates Meliza Salazar and Laia Vilardell read the manifesto of the Women and Science Committee of the CIC. This year, the manifesto reflects the origin of 25N as an international day against male chauvinist violence and summarises the legal regulations regarding gender equality. It also recalls the need to raise awareness and raise the visibility of gender violence in universities. 

Finally, Carolina Gala, Professor of Law at the UAB, gave a presentation in which she highlighted the main characteristics of Law 15/2022, a comprehensive law for equal treatment and non-discrimination. Carolina Gala described this regulation as a law of guarantees, general and comprehensive. In the first case, it is a law of guarantees because “it aims to ensure already existing rights and to incorporate all the doctrine of the Constitutional Court on non-discrimination and equality”. Gala speaks of a general law because it includes the national legal framework but gives preference to the autonomous community’s one. Finally, the professor spoke of a comprehensive law, as it brings together the six grounds for discrimination that appear in article 14 of the Constitution and adds six new ones, such as sexual orientation or non-discrimination on grounds of gender. 

The Secretary General closed the event by informing that the UAB anti-bullying protocol is in the process of being reformed. This protocol was approved in 2018 by the Governing Council of the university. It is applicable to all UAB students, as well as to staff who have or have had a statutory relationship with the university and people contracted from external companies that offer services to the UAB. Therefore, anyone who has knowledge of a case that affects the UAB community can activate the protocol. The Observatory for Equality is in charge of the reception, assistance and support service for those who decide to activate it. 

In 2013 the UAB started the project “UAB free of gender violence” as a response to measure 4.5 of the 3rd UAB Equality Plan. The main objectives are to raise visibility, raise awareness and prevent gender violence through campaigns, studies and training workshops; to provide the university with resources to deal with cases of gender violence that may occur on campus; to attend and inform about resources in cases of gender violence and to establish mechanisms for the agents involved. Since then, work has been done on more than a dozen actions and resources to implement the project. 

This year, the commemoration of the International day against Gender Violence had two events: the conference “New perspectives on male chauvinist violence from a non-identitarian feminism” with the feminist activist, Laura Macaya, on 17 November and the event held on 29 November.