Invitation for the submission of papers and abstracts for participation in the first conference of the project “Introduction to gender mainstreaming politics in higher education” (UNIGEM), which will be held in May 2022 in Sarajevo.
The International Scientific Conference on “Despite Fear and Silence: Universities Against Violence” will be held on May 6 and 7, 2022 at the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, University of Sarajevo.
The UNIGEM project brings together 18 universities from the region, as well as scientists who research gender issues in higher education, and the University of Rijeka is one of the project partners.
The UNIGEM project seeks to integrate gender equality into the higher education system so that the academic and wider community becomes a safe space for teachers and students.
The conference aims to encourage the development of gender equality policies to prevent sexual harassment and gender-based violence in universities.
Gender-based violence is a global problem that poses a challenge to personal integrity, mental health, and scientists’ career development, as well as hindering social and economic development. Many national and international human rights institutions, in particular the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, provide programs to combat gender-based violence. However, daily media reports on gender-based violence in all spheres of life, including in the higher education system, indicate that the adoption of legal norms is not a guarantee for their application in practice.
As part of the project, the TPO Foundation and partner universities have conducted extensive qualitative and quantitative research on the incidence of gender-based violence at nearby universities. Some results of the research will be presented at the conference.
Possible topics of conference presentations and panels:
1. Knowledge of gender-based violence:
● Contemporary theoretical and methodological approaches to gender-based and sexual violence
● Linguistic approaches to gender-based violence, language, and gender
● Sociological approaches to power and gender in academia
2. Gender, inclusion, and education:
● Education of teachers and students on gender-based violence: cross-sectoral cooperation
● Intersectional approach to equality in education: people with disabilities
● Intersectional approach to equality in education: ethnic, gender, and sexual minorities
3. Gender, mental health, and social protection:
● Mental health and gender-based violence during the COVID-19 pandemic
● Online harassment and cyberbullying in higher education
● Intersectional approach to mental health, gender, and violence
4. Gender, university management, and institutional culture:
● Gender discrimination in career development: “pipeline leaks” in various academic disciplines
● Organizational culture for gender equality: obstacles, challenges, and opportunities
● Approaches to ending sexual abuse in universities