English Language II A

Debate 1: Gender Violence

Owner:

L-LIIA-G1-1

Members:

ST-LIIA-G1-1
ST-LIIA-G1-2
ST-LIIA-G1-3
ST-LIIA-G1-4
ST-LIIA-G1-5

Discussion Leaders:

DL-LIIA-G1-1
DL-LIIA-G1-2
DL-LIIA-G1-3

L-LIIA-G1-1

10w

FORUM debate 1/Gender violence
Group Name: The Revolution
Group members: ST-LIIA-G1-1, ST-LIIA-G1-2, ST-LIIA-G1-3, ST-LIIA-G1-4 & ST-LIIA-G1-5
Discussion Leaders: DL-LIIA-G1-1 & DL-LIIA-G1-2

Discussion leader: DL-LIIA-G1-3

STEP 1
Individually, write and post an introductory paragraph about yourselves together with four icebreaking questions to get started. Make sure you answer some of the questions posted by the other members of your Google+ community.

ST-LIIA-G1-2

Hello!

I’m ST-LIIA-G1-2, a student at the University of Valencia, in Spain. I study English Philology, and I am 19 years old.

My hobbies include watching series (all types of animation, including anime), reading, spending time with my friends, and the one I like the most: doing cosplay (which is, basically, wearing and doing costumes of my favourite characters of games and series). Oh! And I really LOVE musicals. Falsettos is my favourite one, followed by Les Miserables and Hamilton.

What do you think of the situation of women nowadays? Do you think it is as good as men situation? What would you do to change the injustices? Do you think gender violence at home is a problematic issue that should be treated as soon as possible?

In my opinion, we still have a lot of things to do with gender equality and violence. We need to educate children from the beginning to avoid situations such as rapes or gender violence in a relationship. Many people think that is not important, but getting to the root of the problem and avoid it from the beginning is what we really need to do.

ST-LIIA-G1-4

Helllo! I’m ST-LIIA-G1-4. I live in Valencia and I’m studying English Studies at the Universitat de Valencia. I’m 19 years old and I don’t know what I want to do with my live when I finish my degree. I like to play volleyball and hang out with my friends and really love animals although I don’t have any pet at home.
My ice-breaking questions would be:
-What type of music do you listen?
-What is your favourite meal?
-Why did you choose this degree?
-Do you speak an other language?

ST-LIIA-G1-1

Hi everyone! My name is ST-LIIA-G1-1, I’m 18 years old and I’m studying an English Studies degree at Universitat de Valencia. When I finish my degree I would like to be a secondary English teacher. My hobbies are reading, listening to music, going out with my friends and watching TV series.
To know each other better, I’ll ask you some questions:

What do you like to do in your free time?
– If you could be any famous person, who would it be and why?
– What is your favourite song at the moment?

ST-LIIA-G1-4

Hi ST-LIIA-G1-1! I really like whatching films so I can’t choose only one to be my favourite, the last film I like the most was Hidden Figures, it talks about three black womens working for the NASA in the 1960s.
In my free time, as I said, I like to meet my friends and play volleyball, also I love to watchs series and films I can recomend you some 😉
If I could be a famous person, definetly, I would be Rihanna, she’s gorgerous, I like her music, I like the message she give to the world, about empowering womens including coloured women, just see the make up line she has created.
If I have to choose a song in english about this last month would be Thunder by Imagine Dragons, it’s simply awesome.

ST-LIIA-G1-5

Hello folks! I’m ST-LIIA-G1-5. I live in a lovely neighbourhood in the outskirts of Valencia called Benimaclet. I’m 18, and although I’m studying English Studies, I don’t really know what to do with my life. I wouldn’t like to be a teacher because young people are savage nowadays and I don’t really know if I would be able to cope with them. I love playing cello, it allows me to withdraw from my problems and enjoy. I’m in an orchestra and in a band, part of the reason of why I know and I’m obsessed with the phantom of the opera yay, I even went to London to watch the musical. I also enjoy hanging out with friends, clubbing, drawing (I would like to dedicate more time to this hobbie though) and be updated regarding politics, I’m very keen on knowing what’s going on in there. And girls you already asked the good ones! It’s tough to be original! But I’ll try:
-Do you watch TV? If so, what are your favourite programmes or series?
-Are you into social media? If so, would you rather choose twitter or instagram?
-Is there any famous youtuber/influencer/public person you specially like and follow?
-If you could live in a different country, which would it be?

ST-LIIA-G1-5

Hi mates!
The situation of women nowadays is rather terrible, going from genital mutilation to being raped and murdered, not forgetting the preassure towards our bodies due to being objectified, the glass ceiling and the laboral disadvantages and not being able to walk alone in the streets without being disturbed. Obviously, men are in a social upper position, patriarchy. Many changes are needed, education has a huge role, letting them occupy principal spaces, showing other types of bodies in mass media, publicly reporting any injustice and sorority. It’s an essencial matter, so yes.
-Almost every type of music, from valencian protest music to One direction not forgetting indie stuff like foster the people, smallpolls… Rock, rap, pop, and even reggaeton (specially the feminist one).
-Lasagna (garfield step aside yas)
-Because I love English
-Catalan and a little bit of german
-I don’t really have one, I can’t choose.
-I don’t know, I really liked Rachel’s answer though. I guess I would be someone with a great voice, a discret private life and respected by everyone, Sia for example.
-My fave songs of all time are bohemian rhapsody by queen and piazzola’s oblivion. But right now I’m pretty obsessed with Nil Moliner’s «que nos sigan las luces» sang by Alfred Garcia

DL-LIIA-G1-2

Hi everyone! My name is DL-LIIA-G1-2 or DL-LIIA-G1-2 for short. I’m 21 from Birmingham, England and I’m here in Valencia on my Erasmus year because I study Spanish and Business at the University of Coventry. My hobbies include:
-being with friends and family
-researching into different historical events
-travelling
-sleeping and eating haha!

I really love Harry Potter, makeup and UK Grime (a type of music), I love Giggs (a music artist), Skepta, Stormzy, Ghetts, J Hus and Lotto Boyz

My questions are: do you think women should have more rights than they do currently?
Is it fair that it is seen as worse if a man hits a women, than if a women hits a man?
Does culture play the biggest part in gender violence?
What would you do to change the issue of gender violence?

DL-LIIA-G1-2

+ ST-LIIA-G1-2 Loving your hobbies, they’re very artistic you sound like a creative person!

My answers to your questions:
I think that women have it much better nowadays in Western cultures but we are still seen as the weaker gender and we are still sexualised too much.
No, I think men have it easier than us because it is still believed that men are more capable than women which is why they get 12% higher wage than women in England still.
I would change the injustice by educating children from young that knowledge and ability depends on the person, not their gender, gender shouldn’t be seen nowadays.
And lastly, I think that gender violence at home is the biggest problem because it happens behind closed doors, this means that women don’t inform the police of these events because she would lose her family life and her marriage and it is easier to ignore the problems.

DL-LIIA-G1-2

+ ST-LIIA-G1-4 Hi ST-LIIA-G1-4! Great interests, shame you don’t have a pet though!
My answers to your questions are:
I listen to UK Grime which is a type of rap from the UK, which is now famous in America. And I also like 90’s R&B.
My favourite meal is anything from an Indian restaurant I love Indian food.
In England I study Spanish and Business (and other languages), I chose it because I love business and languages go really well with it.
I speak English, Spanish, Portuguese and some Arabic.

DL-LIIA-G1-2

+ ST-LIIA-G1-1 Hi ST-LIIA-G1-1, your career plans sound really good!
If I was famous I would be someone called Claire Foy because she always acts in historical series and I would love to do that.
My favourite song is my favourite artist’s new song Swingin In Da Whip by Giggs.
My favourite film is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Askaban
And in my free time I love watching history documentaries and being with my friends.

ST-LIIA-G1-1

+ DL-LIIA-G1-2 Hi DL-LIIA-G1-2. Loving your hobbies, especially the last one, because I also like eating and sleeping, hahaha! My answer to your questions are: I think that women should have more rights than they have now just because we have been restricted for a long time and it is basically what we deserve to be equal as everyone else.
It is not fair because violence is violence in every situation and it should be punished.
I really think that culture plays a big part in gender violence because for so long women have been under man and in today’s society, even though something has already changed, some other things need to be change in order to get the equality.
What I would do to change the issue of gender violence is to teach children from an early age that underrate women is not good and gender violence againat women, or agains any human being, is horrible

ST-LIIA-G1-1

+ ST-LIIA-G1-4 Hi ST-LIIA-G1-4! I also like animals and neither have a pet, so I know how you feel, hahaha! My answer to your questions are: I really enjoy any kind of music, but I’m not to keen on rap, and my favorite singer is Harry Styles.
My favourite meal is definetly pizza, I could eat it anyday, anytime.
I chose this degree because I really love the language and the english culture.
I speak Catalan, Spanish and I’m learning German at the moment

DL-LIIA-G1-2

+ ST-LIIA-G1-5 Hi ST-LIIA-G1-5, I understand your struggles to choose a career but you still have time to decide! Your hobbies sound really good, I wish I played an instrument. My answers to your questions are:
I watch documentaries about history, crimes and religious fanatics like the Mormons in America (random, I know!) My favourite series is Eastenders which is the most popular soap opera in England and Wolf Hall, a historical series about Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn.
I would choose Instagram because it’s pictures instead of just words.
Honestly I don’t really subscribe to anyone on Youtube, however a good friend of mine has a really interesting channel about her travels.
I would live in Ireland, instead of England, because my family are from Ireland and I would feel at home there with the culture and lifestyle.

ST-LIIA-G1-1

+ ST-LIIA-G1-5 Hi ST-LIIA-G1-5! I agree with you on teenager being savage but if I can be a teacher I will try to make them less savge, promise!
My answer to your questions is: I watch TV seriea but mostly on my computer, and I can’t choose my favourite TV show because I watch so many of them buy some of the TV series that I’m watching right now are The Walking Dead, Shameless, How To Get Away With Murder and This Is Us.
I am into social media, I have Twitter, Facebook, Instagram… but I don’t usually post a lot because I don’t like living my life through a phone, but I poat a picture from time to time.
I follow a lot of youtubers, most of them beauty or comedian people and some of them that I enjoy are Zoella, Andrea Compton, Lily Singh and many more that I can’t remember the name.
If I could live in a different country, I would live in UK definetly, most specifically in London, because I enjoy the lifestyle there and, even though the weather is not the best, I would get used to it.

ST-LIIA-G1-1

+ ST-LIIA-G1-2 Hi ST-LIIA-G1-2! Very interesting the cosplay! My answer to your question is: I really think that the situation of women nowadays is better than in the old times but we still need to do so much to have the rights we deserve.
Definitely is not as good as men just because we have so many difficulties in every single aspect of life than men have.
What I would do is stand up against these injustices and start with childrean teaching them how to treat not only women but human beings.
I absolutely think that gender violence at home is a very problematic issue that needs to be solve as soon as possible. Those ideas about what women and men are suposed to do at home needs to be changed. That idea of men having to «help» at home is absolutely wrong becauae the house is of the both of them so both of them have to do housework, not only women.

L-LIIA-G1-1

ST-LIIA-G1-1’s post: ST-LIIA-G1-1:
+ ST-LIIA-G1-4 Hi ST-LIIA-G1-4! I also like animals and neither have a pet, so I know how you feel, hahaha! My answer to your questions are: I really enjoy any kind of music, but I’m not to keen on rap, and my favorite singer is Harry Styles.
My favourite meal is definetly pizza, I could eat it anyday, anytime.
I chose this degree because I really love the language and the english culture.
I speak Catalan, Spanish and I’m learning German at the moment

DL-LIIA-G1-2

Hi everyone, just a few questions about the subject.
What would people think of a man who backs down from a fight?
What would people think of two women involved in a fist fight?

By the way, if anybody doesn’t understand any words or phrases please let me know!

DL-LIIA-G1-2

Here is the official definition of gender violence, do you think this is appropriate, or can there be any changes made to make it fairer to both genders? ‘Gender-based violence describes acts which result in physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering to women, according to the United Nations. It is a global issue, affecting thousands. Women and girls are the most vulnerable to this form of violence but increasingly men and boys are also affected’

DL-LIIA-G1-2

dailymail.co.uk – Domestic violence ‘reaching crisis’ please also go ahead and read the article I have added in the link. It is an insight to gender based violence in Britain and it has really shocked me. Are you surprised this type of abuse is allowed in the UK, even though the UK is seen as one of the most developed countries? Is there a difference between gender violence in developed and underdeveloped countries? Please send your opinions guys!

Domestic violence ‘reaching crisis’

dailymail.co.uk

ST-LIIA-G1-4

+ DL-LIIA-G1-2 Hello DL-LIIA-G1-2I don’t understand what does it mean ‘back down from a fight’ you mean to lose it? I’m not sure if I know what do you mean with these questions 🤔
Sorry, my english level is not very high, but I’m trying.

ST-LIIA-G1-4

+ DL-LIIA-G1-2 When I read that definition I think that is true, it isn’t fair but is what acctually happens nowadays. All the genders could be afected by gender violence, but the ones who suffers the most are the women.

DL-LIIA-G1-2

+ ST-LIIA-G1-4 Don’t apologise it’s a hard term! It means to decide to stop fighting with someone. I agree, women do experience more violence because we are seen as the inferior sex, physically and mentally.

DL-LIIA-G1-2

youtube.com – Violence against women in video games.

Can you all watch this video and decide whether you think video games are one of the leading causes of gender violence, as mainly man play video games?

Violence against women in video games.

ST-LIIA-G1-3

Hi there!
I’m ST-LIIA-G1-3, one of your classmates. I live with my family in a city next to Valencia called Torrent and as most of you I’m 18 years old and I’m studying the English Studies degree at the Universitat de Valencia.
I love travelling, riding horses, reading (obviously I prefer the books that I choose rather than the compulsory ones from uni but if I tell you the truth they are actually very nice). I also playing rugby, going to summer camps with my friends…Generally I love all the activities outdoors they make me feel alive!
Regarding the theme about gender violence I have read some of your comments and they are nice. I love debating about this and even more if we are all interested in this topic! So I think I am going to answer to some comments because they made me think!
Finally I wanted to apologise for not writing before I didn’t know how to do it exactly sorry!

ST-LIIA-G1-3

+ DL-LIIA-G1-2 Hi DL-LIIA-G1-2.
First of all nice to meet you and as I said before sorry for the late comment!
I don’t know if I am allowed to answer these questions but I really like how you structured them so if you don’t mind would like to answer them too.
I would like to talk about this question that you suggested: “Is it fair that it is seen as worse if a man hits a woman, than if a woman hits a man?”
Obviously is not fair. In my opinion, what women and some men (those who are aware of the bad situation of our reputation of our culture, who unfortunately are not many) is to be equal in all the aspects, because as you know feminism is equality, no more, no less. We are all equal because we are all human. So yes, it will be totally unfair.
It’s true that the vast number of women that are harassed shocks us. So maybe people think that is fair that it seen worse when a man hits a woman than the other way around. But we are fighting for everyone because our objective is that the number of victims, both women and men, come down to zero.
Another question that I wanted to answer was: “Does culture play the biggest part in gender violence?”
I would say yes. Culture and education are some of the most important points in gender violence. That’s why we have to restructure the thoughts of own. We should raise awareness who ever thinks that the society is right how it is, because that type of people are the ones who, maybe, are going to educate their children.

ST-LIIA-G1-1

+ DL-LIIA-G1-2 Hi DL-LIIA-G1-2! I think that what people would think of a man who backs down from a fight would be that he is weak and coward because men are always seen like they have to be brave and protect others, mostly women and children. And this thought makes women and children look weak and that they do not know how to defend themselves.
And about the second question, i think if people find in the street two women fist fighting they would probably encourage them to keep going and to see «who is better than the other», and i do not think that is fair because we, as women, have to support each other in every way we can, not fight against us

ST-LIIA-G1-1

+ DL-LIIA-G1-2 Hi, I just read the article and I am also quite shocked that that kind of behavior is allowed in the UK. That should be punished in every country. It is quite surprising that in a country like the UK where, as you said, it is considered one of the most developed countries, is still allowed to hit a woman and nobody gets punished about that.
I also think that there is a little difference between developed countries and underdeveloped countries in terms of gender violence. But I think is because they do not have the same sources as developed countries to inform themselves about that topic. Also sometimes, most of this underdeveloped countries are ruled by people who do not let them get information or think, and just tells the population what they think is wrong or right.
But even though we know that these actions are really bad and should not be allowed, we live in a society that allows that kind of behavior. And what we should do to stop this is teaching the young people about these things at schools.

ST-LIIA-G1-1

+ DL-LIIA-G1-2 Hey, I watched the video and I think that this is one of the reasons of gender violence, among others, because if a little boy plays that kind of games and watches those images as something normal and nobody tells him that you can not do that to woman or to any other human being, he will think that that is okay and probably when he grows up he will imitate that. Or even at school just playing with his friend, they try to do that to a little girl. And it is awful seeing such young kids having that kind of behavior.

 

English Language IIB

Debate 1: Gender Violence

Owner:

L-LIIB-G1-1

Members:

ST-LIIB-G1-1
ST-LIIB-G1-2
ST-LIIB-G1-3
ST-LIIB-G1-4
ST-LIIB-G1-5
ST-LIIB-G1-6

Discussion Leaders:

DL-LIIB-G1-1
DL-LIIB-G1-2

 

 

·        L-LIIB-G1-1

 

FORUM debate 1/Gender violence
Group Name:
Group members:
Discussion leaders: DL-LIIB-G1-1 & DL-LIIB-G1-2
STEP 1
Individually, write and post an introductory paragraph about yourselves together with four icebreaking questions to get started. Make sure you answer some of the questions posted by the other members of your Google+ community.

 

·         DL-LIIB-G1-1

Hi everyone! My name is DL-LIIB-G1-1 or DL-LIIB-G1-1 for short. I’m 21 from Birmingham, England and I’m here in Valencia on my Erasmus year because I study Spanish and Business at the University of Coventry. My hobbies include:
-being with friends and family
-researching into different historical events
-travelling
-sleeping and eating haha!

I really love Harry Potter, makeup and UK Grime (a type of music), I love Giggs (a music artist), Skepta, Stormzy, Ghetts, J Hus and Lotto Boyz.

My questions are: do you think women should have more rights than they do currently?
Is it fair that it is seen as worse if a man hits a women, than if a women hits a man?
Does culture play the biggest part in gender violence?
What would you do to change the issue of gender violence?

Reply
·         DL-LIIB-G1-1

Hi everyone, just a few questions about the subject.
What would people think of a man who backs down from a fight?
What would people think of two women involved in a fist fight?

By the way, if anybody doesn’t understand any words or phrases please let me know!


·         DL-LIIB-G1-1

Here is the official definition of gender violence, do you think this is appropriate, or can there be any changes made to make it fairer to both genders? ‘Gender-based violence describes acts which result in physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering to women, according to the United Nations. It is a global issue, affecting thousands. Women and girls are the most vulnerable to this form of violence but increasingly men and boys are also affected’

 

·         DL-LIIB-G1-1

Please also go ahead and read the article I have added in the link. It is an insight to gender based violence in Britain and it has really shocked me. Are you surprised this type of abuse is allowed in the UK, even though the UK is seen as one of the most developed countries? Is there a difference between gender violence in developed and underdeveloped countries? Please send your opinions guys! dailymail.co.uk – Domestic violence ‘reaching crisis’

Domestic violence ‘reaching crisis’

dailymail.co.uk

 

·         ST-LIIB-G1-1

+ DL-LIIB-G1-1
Hi DL-LIIB-G1-1, my name is ST-LIIB-G1-1, and I am 18 years old, I’m from a town near València, its name is Villanueva de Castellón (if you have used the metro, probably you have seen the name of my town), but I’m living in valencia city for 3 years now.
I study English studies in UV, because my grade wasn’t good enough for translation degree and because I lov English language and also the English culture.
I don’t really have a lot of hobbies, maybe being with my friends, read poetry and also writing it.
Answering to your questions, yes, I think women nowadays are inferior than a males, and it’s becauae our history, Spain has been a country where women were neglected and undervalued, and that’s why nowadays we have less rights than men.
For me, in my opinion, it does not matter if it’s the man who hits the woman or the woman to the man, every single person who hits someone of different gender, it’s gender violence. Another point is that nowadays the percentage of women who suffer this type of harassment is higher than men, and that’s why women protest, and fight against.
OF COURSE the culture is the most important fact in gender violence, through our history, as I told before, women are not validated as a men, and that produces men feeling more important than women, so, they think they have some type of right over the women. For change this situation of gender violence I will educate my children in the right way, explaining them that no one is more than somebody, and also, as I do now, when I see a situation of gender violence, I call to the police and offer help to the victim.

 

·         DL-LIIB-G1-1

+ ST-LIIB-G1-1 Hi ST-LIIB-G1-1! Thanks for the response, your hobbies sound good. I agree, culture is so important it really influences the way the population sees females. Do you think Spain has especially been affected by gender violence since the reign of Franco, due to his misogynistic attitude?

 

·         DL-LIIB-G1-1

Also, please watch the video shared below guys. Do you think the increase in males playing video games has influenced the level of gender violence after watching the video?

youtube.com – Violence against women in video games.

Please make sure you all write something about the topic soon!

Violence against women in video games.

 

·         ST-LIIB-G1-2

Hi everyone! My name is ST-LIIB-G1-2. I am 18 years old. This is my first year at university. I am studying English Studies. I am from a town near Xàtiva.

My hobbies are:
-stay with family and friends.
-reading and listening to music.
I love animals, especially dogs and cats.

I think that gender violence is a topic that nowadays, everyday we watch the TV and we listen horrible things about relatives or women who die or are hurt by this terrible problem.

I totally agree that the culture in what we live influence a lot. For example, Spain is a society which continue to be very male chauvinist. We live in a country that men have lots of rights added that women, for example, their salary is higher than the women. I think that our culture have to improve, because a lot of women continue working only at home, like in other periods of the century and men are working. Historical facts had a lot of influence in our country, like I said before in my example. In Spain women of the starting of the century to the period of democracy had a lot of time when they had to do determinately subjects and men other.

FOR ME, another concerning point is that the technology influences a lot to young boys to control their girlfriends or relatives, and this is very dangerous, because people is very young and they have a smartphone in their hands.

Families, in the cultural facts have a lot of influence, and this is my own question. If our families think in a positive way, they encourage us to do all the housework together.

Fortunately women are fighting for her rights more and more everyday. Men sometimes believe that they have more rights than women, but there are a lot of protests against this situations.

IN MY OPINION, I want to educate my children, in the future, to be aware that all the humans are equal, and nobody is superior to another gender.

·         ST-LIIB-G1-1

Hi everyone again! Sorry for being absent but I went to Gandia with my friends due to the Easter holidays.
I saw the video and I’ve realized that, in fact, the violence against women is increasing due to videogames. Also, it’s true that in some videogames, like GTA, the weak characters are women and the weapons are not the same for males than for females.
In MY opinion, government should ban these type of videogames, because it’s not reasonable that a child of 10/12 years plays to these games, I thinks it’s UNBELIEVABLE.
Answering to your previous question before the video, of course due to the reign of Franco, Spain is more sexist than what Spain should be. During his reign, the women hadn’t got any right or any positive signs from the mans. And due to that, my grandfather, and my grandmother have sexist manners, in case of my family, they are not extremely sexists, but my friends families, most part of them are very sexists and that’s very disgusting, because their grandmothers and also sometimes their mothers say to them things like «don’t wear that skirt if your boyfriend isn’t with you, and also please wear it discreetly», in my family these things doesn’t happen, but I think because they are a bit open minded, but not open minded at all, and I’m sure that that is due to their education during the Franco’s reign, and also the education their parents gave to them. And that is a thing that we do not realize but that is also gender violence, harasment against women and it is not tolerable.
For that reason, in the XXI century it’s not possible that an entire country be so sexist and also so narrow-minded, even though the press and the magazines try to make up this reality saying that we’re one of the countries with less gender violence, sexism, and that we are open-minded. So, my final point is: while one person thinks something narrow-minded, sexist, or even a woman receive a hit from her lover, Spain WON’T be a respectable country.
ST-LIIB-G1-1.

 

·         ST-LIIB-G1-3

Thanks to everyone for their comments. Before going into more detail about all the great points that have been raised, I’d like to comment about the videogames. Any videogames with realistic violence are marked by PEGI, an European games governing body for ratings as not suitable for minors. The developers and publishers have done their homework in this area. A big part of the problem resides in stores selling to minors, which is illegal, and parents buying games for their children without even caring about the actual content of the game.

 

·         ST-LIIB-G1-1

You’re completely right, the problem is not about the people who develope these games, because as you have said they are marked with that, but I maintain my point supporting the prohibition of these games, it does not matter if you are under eighteen or not, violence should not be a great topic for a game, because nobody, even he or she is more than eighteen, should play with this, and the Government should not permiss these games. This would be a way for not make public violent actions, and it is a way for not teach these actions to Youth people and also for avoiding these behaviours in the people.

 

·         ST-LIIB-G1-4

Hi everyone,
First, let me introduce myself briefly. I’m ST-LIIB-G1-4, I’m 19 years old and as you can imagine, I’m a first year student of English Studies. My hobbies are hanging out with my friends, reading and listening to music. I’ve read all what you have comment on gender violence and let me say that you really caught my eye so that’s why I decided to do my bit in this forum debate.

Regarding the videogames topic, I think this is more a social issue than something that rests in videogames themselves. Sadly, sexual objectification and harassment is highly rooted in our society and so in videogames, as a dramatization of reality. Of course video games could do their bit in the fight against gender violence but, as I see it, the thing is that people should be responsible and conscious enough of that videogames are fiction and cannot be applied to reality. Moreover, as for the case of children, as ST-LIIB-G1-3 said, the freedom to choice is a consumer’s right but it’s a duty of parents to care about what kind of games their children buy and play. And even if parents allow their children to play them, it’s their duty to make them understand that women shouldn’t be treated like that; it’s their responsibility to make their children see violent actions in videogames as a proof of what they mustn’t do in their life.

However, many people still adopt sexist behaviours unconsciously not just by videogames but also by what they watch on TV or even by what they see at home, at the school or in the street in general. For instance, regarding street harassment, how do you think this can influence to children? Why do we care so much for violent videogames and at the same time we downplay the fact that thousands of women are daily verbally harassed on the streets? Violent videogames can be sometimes a bad influence, I’m not saying otherwise, I agree but, why do we still consider the fact that an stranger whistle you, comment on your appearance, follow you and make you feel really uncomfortable and unsafe just an innocent thing?

 

·         ST-LIIB-G1-5

Hello! My name is ST-LIIB-G1-5. I am 21 years old. This is my first year at the UV, but I’ve been at the UA for two years. I’m from Alicante but now I’m living in Valencia.

I’ve loved reading since I was very young, I used to read fantasy books and now I read lots of comics like Watchmen or V for Vendetta. I’m always listening to music, but just a few musical genres like Hip hop or jazz. Last year I started painting, moreover it’s very difficult to combine my painting lessons with my university subjects, that’s the reason why I don’t paint too much.

Nowadays Gender violence is an uprising topic, due to the increase of feminist movements and partnerships. We also see it on TV, but sometimes they deal with this topic badly, for example, making the women responsible for the violence because of how they dress. In this way, we can see gender violence on TV as well.

I’ve seen the video that DL-LIIB-G1-1 posted and I have lots of things to say. First of all, our society is male chauvinist, therefore, every product born in that society is male chauvinist (Obviously, there are exceptions). What we see in this video game is wanton violence and we must be aware that there’s a difference between both types of violence and that’s why I’m going to explain my point of view with this video.

Gender violence is a type of violence that affects women just because they are women, just because men believe they’re able to do this and there’s nothing wrong with it. In the vídeo we see a few images of the game God Of War, where we see Kratos (the main character) fighting and killing Athena, but what we don’t see is that Athena was the goddess who ordered to kill Krato’s family. What I want to explain is that in this vídeo we see a one-sided perspective.

Apart from that, in the video we also see a few images of Tomb Rider, where we see a man trying to kill her, but when she finally takes the knife and it’s about to kill him, the scene changes.

Of course, there are aspects of these kind of video games that are very male chauvinist, like the objetification of women, always looking sexy for the pleasure of the male player. However, I think this video has been made by someone who is against this kind of video games. This idea reminds me to the topic of video games and murders with guns in the USA. On that topic, a lot of people think that games like GTA are increasing murders made by children. Well, in my opinión, the main reason why there are more murders, it’s because every child can take his father’s gun a shoot someone. With the topic we are discussing, it goes the same way, the problem is not the video games, is the male chauvinist society that makes us see gender violence like it was something normal. We don’t have to ban the video games, we have to change our society.

Finally, I want to say that we usually criticise the children who play those video games with a PEGI mark, but not the parents that buy them those games without caring what content there’s inside. It’s easier for us to criticise children, but the real culprits are the parents.

 

·         ST-LIIB-G1-6

Hi everyone,
My name is María, and I’m from Segorbe, a town near Valencia. I am in first of English Philology at the University of Valencia.

What happens today with gender violence? Why are women still being mistreated? why they do not earn the same as men in some jobs?

To begin, I would like to say that I totally agree with your comments. It seems incredible that we are in the 21st century. Years ago the woman was mistreated and raped because men thought they were superior to women. However, now that we are in the 21st century this continues to happen and more and more.

On the other hand lately the news only leaves cases of women mistreated or violated by their partners.There is no other topic that is talked about. Gender violence is one of the most debated issues today. Battered women, raped by their partners, women with lower wages than men just because they are women. We should all be equal, today society is very advanced and women have many rights, more than before, but in the case of wages, women continue to be inferior to men.

To conclude, I would like to say that among all of us we should help to change society and not allow anything or anyone to treat us inferiorly and above all to stop this gender violence that is increasingly present in our society.

 

·         ST-LIIB-G1-3

+ ST-LIIB-G1-4 Great points ST-LIIB-G1-4. I just wanted to comment that the action of whistling or saying «compliments» to an unknown woman on the street has a name: catcalling. You may want to search on YouTube for a terrifying video entitled «10 Hours of Walking in NYC as a Woman» which was shot with a hidden camera. It’s not violent or anything but it shows what women have to put up with.
·         ST-LIIB-G1-3

+ ST-LIIB-G1-5 Great points ST-LIIB-G1-5, good job.

 

·         ST-LIIB-G1-3

Thank you everyone for your comments, they’re fantastic. I wanted to delve into the idea that any violence caused by a gender to another is «gender violence», do you think this is really the case or that we call it «gender violence» because it is overwhelmingly caused by one gender (men) towards another (women)? I’ve researched official bodies for a clear definition and take a look at this: the European Institute for Gender Equality identifies «gender violence» with «violence against women». Here’s the link. eige.europa.eu – Forms of gender-based violence

Forms of gender-based violence

eige.europa.eu

 

English Language II E

Debate 3:  Gender Violence

Owner:

L-LIIEG.3-G3-1

Members (G.3):

ST-LIIEG.3-G3-1
ST-LIIEG.3-G3-2
ST-LIIEG.3-G3-3
ST-LIIEG.3-G3-4
ST-LIIEG.3-G3-5

Discussion Leader:

DL-LIIEG.3-G3-1
DL-LIIEG.3-G3-2

 

·         L-LIIEG.3-G3-1

FORUM debate 3/Gender violence

Discussion Leader(s): DL-LIIEG.3-G3-1 & DL-LIIEG.3-G3-2

Group Name: Equality

Group members: (G.3)
ST-LIIEG.3-G3-1
ST-LIIEG.3-G3-2
ST-LIIEG.3-G3-3
ST-LIIEG.3-G3-4
ST-LIIEG.3-G3-5

STEP 1: Breaking the Ice:
– Write and post an introductory paragraph together with four ice-breaking questions. Make sure you answer some of the questions posted by your group mates and the discussion leader(s).

STEP 2: Initiating the Discussion:
– With the guidance of the discussion leader assigned to your group, write 4 or 5 posts of about 200 words each during this month (try to write at least one post a week).

 

·         DL-LIIEG.3-G3-1

Hi everyone! My name is DL-LIIEG.3-G3-1 or DL-LIIEG.3-G3-1 for short. I’m 21 from Birmingham, England and I’m here in Valencia on my Erasmus year because I study Spanish and Business at the University of Coventry. My hobbies include:
-being with friends and family
-researching into different historical events
-travelling
-sleeping and eating haha!

I really love Harry Potter, makeup and UK Grime (a type of music), I love Giggs (a music artist), Skepta, Stormzy, Ghetts, J Hus and Lotto Boyz

My questions are: do you think women should have more rights than they do currently?
Is it fair that it is seen as worse if a man hits a women, than if a women hits a man?
Does culture play the biggest part in gender violence?
What would you do to change the issue of gender violence?

Reply

 

·         ST-LIIEG.3-G3-3

Hi everyone! My name is ST-LIIEG.3-G3-3 and I am eighteen years old. I am from Alzira, a city of Valencia. I am studying the degree of Translation at the University of València and I want to become a books publisher since I was a little child. I love reading books, specially Jane Austen’s ones and I think that books have made me who I am now.

I am really into fashion because I think that people express themselves with their clothes and I really like travelling too because it seems to me that it’s the best way in order to learn about other cultures. I’m mad about doing yoga because I feel that our health is such an important matter and it helps me to control stress. I speak Valencian, Spanish, English and a bit German, and I can’t wait to learn a new one language such as Italian.

My questions are:
-What do you think about the uses of technology in order to foster the intercultural communication?

-Do you believe that teenagers waste too much time using social networks?

-What do you think about the global warming?

-Many people prefer a well-paid job to an interesting job. What’s your view?

I hope we have a wonderful time together. See you soon!

 

·         ST-LIIEG.3-G3-5

+ ST-LIIEG.3-G3-3 Hello! My name is ST-LIIEG.3-G3-5 and I study Translation in Valencia. I’m going to answer some of your questions:
1. I believe that technology is a great way of communicating with other people, especially if they live on other countries. It allows conversations between students from different cultures and lets them learn about other ways to see the world. It is a great tool and we must make good use of it.

2. I do believe that teenagers waste their time online, including myself. Addiction to social media has become an issue among teens, because their social life is often linked to the Internet. I would love to see face-to-face conversations and hanging out with friends without phones become more common and spread.

 

·         ST-LIIEG.3-G3-5

+ DL-LIIEG.3-G3-1 Hi DL-LIIEG.3-G3-1! I do believe that culture has an enormous impact on gender violence and gender inequality. Until we stop forcing gender roles on children, we won’t see a change in society. We must teach them from a young age to respect one another and that they are all equal, that no one is more than another.
Like I said, I think that education can be one of the solutions of gender violence. Awereness campaigns and aid for women in abusive households are also important if we want to live in an equal society.

 

·         ST-LIIEG.3-G3-3

+ DL-LIIEG.3-G3-1

Hi DL-LIIEG.3-G3-1! Answering to one of your questions, I strongly believe that to change the issue of gender violence we must change completely our society. We must start at schools, teaching equality to the children because they must take into account that women and men are equal and therefore they have the same rights.

On the other hand, men should know they have the same responsibilities as women. They must take part in all the home issues and, when they do some homework, they shouldn’t think that they are helping his wife, because it is not a favour, it is a duty.

Finally, I do believe that the government must get through issues related to the gender pay gap and workplace discrimination by means of collective bargaining. We all can make this world better if we fight for our rights. Let’s do it!

 

·         ST-LIIEG.3-G3-2

+ DL-LIIEG.3-G3-1 hi DL-LIIEG.3-G3-1! My name is ST-LIIEG.3-G3-2. I’m 18 and I also study Translation in Valencia.

Regarding your questions, I do believe that women should have the same rights as men have now. To my mind, we should focus not only on making laws in orden to improve womens’ current issues, but more importantly we should focus on changing sociaty’s attitud towards women. As my friends ST-LIIEG.3-G3-5 and ST-LIIEG.3-G3-3 stated, this journey towards equality ought to get started in schools, teaching children (boys and girls) that we are all the same.

As to your second question, there are hardly ever any news about a wife killing her husband, or a woman raping a boy, but there are hundreds of women being killed everyday by men, so I think that is why when a woman hits a men it is not seen as bad as when a man hits a woman. Moreover, men are biologically stronger, so they are more likely to hurt women when they hit them… but that’s just my opinion!

 

·         ST-LIIEG.3-G3-2

+ ST-LIIEG.3-G3-3 Hi ST-LIIEG.3-G3-3! I have been thinking about your last question for a while because I think it is a really great question. I have always wondered if I will ever have a job that I enjoy since I find it very boring to do the same thing everyday!

I think there is a limit to your question. If you have a really interesting job that you love but you cannot afford to pay rent, or to buy food, I think you should definately find a new jod in order to have a decent lifestyle. However, if I had to choose between a really well-paid boring job, and a more interesting but not so well-paid one, I would for sure go for the interesting one! What is the point of having lots of money if you are not happy on a daily basis, don’t you think?

 

·         DL-LIIEG.3-G3-1

Great answers, I agree with everyone, we should make children aware from young that there is no difference between genders, however it is hard because society shows children that men are stronger, for example when men are expected to carry heavy things or hold doors open for women, in a way it suggests that women always need men and we rely on them, although I do take into account what ST-LIIEG.3-G3-2 has said about men being biologically stronger, so maybe men being the stronger sex is what nature intended.

 

·         DL-LIIEG.3-G3-1

Here is the official definition of gender violence, do you think this is appropriate, or can there be any changes made to make it fairer to both genders? ‘Gender-based violence describes acts which result in physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering to women, according to the United Nations. It is a global issue, affecting thousands. Women and girls are the most vulnerable to this form of violence but increasingly men and boys are also affected’

 

·         DL-LIIEG.3-G3-1

Please also go ahead and read the article I have added in the link. It is an insight to gender based violence in Britain and it has really shocked me. Are you surprised this type of abuse is allowed in the UK, even though the UK is seen as one of the most developed countries? Is there a difference between gender violence in developed and underdeveloped countries? Please send your opinions guys!
dailymail.co.uk – Domestic violence ‘reaching crisis’

Domestic violence ‘reaching crisis’

dailymail.co.uk

 

 

·         ST-LIIEG.3-G3-3

+ DL-LIIEG.3-G3-1
I think that it is a good definition because I understand gender violence as physical, sexual or mental harm produced to women. I’m aware of nowadays there are more cases that involve violence to men, but we can use another word like domestic violence.

At least, it is not the linguistic expression that we use to refer to a problem what matters. What is really important is to find a solution to such a great problem because no one deserves to be mistreated. It is no relevant your gender, your age, your religion or your ethnic group, we are all humans and we all merit the same conditions.

Our governments should make young people aware of those issues and what’s more, society must not to blame the battered, because are the tyrants who have to pay for their faults.

 

·         ST-LIIEG.3-G3-3

I was not really conscious of this type of abuse is allowed in the UK because, as DL-LIIEG.3-G3-1 have said, I see UK as one of the most developed countries in the world. In Spain this issue is important to consider because last year forty-nine women died because of gender violence. In spite of everything I still believe in a change and I feel more powerful since the huge protest that took place on March 8th due to the International Women’s Day.

Regarding to your second question, I was searching for information and I realised that in the entire world there is gender violence. I also became aware of there is a difference between gender violence in developed and underdeveloped countries. Little by little in developed countries people are realising that harm to women is a problem and we have to take actions against it. Despite this, still exist human slavery in countries with little resources and many women are forced to marry or having relations with men in order to obtain money.

Honestly, I don’t know how this issue is going to be solve, but preparing more awareness campaigns is a good beginning!

+ DL-LIIEG.3-G3-1

 

·         ST-LIIEG.3-G3-5

+ DL-LIIEG.3-G3-1 In my opinion, it is an accurate definition. To describe other types of abuse, we can use the term “domestic violence”, which includes male victims of abuse, violence within homosexual couples and between members of a family that are not in a romantic relationship, such as parents and their children.
Furthermore, the term “gender violence” showcases the cause of the issue. Women are harmed mentally and physically because they are seen as the weaker sex, their gender is seen as inferior and worthless, and that is the reason that they become victims of assault. Erasing the term “gender” would be like erasing the motive of the violence.
All in all, like my friend ST-LIIEG.3-G3-3 said in her comment, what matters the most is not the words we use, but how we tackle the problem and fight to end it. However, language reflects the world we live in, and we should be careful about the words we use to refer to specific situations and the meaning that we give them.

 

·         ST-LIIEG.3-G3-5

+ DL-LIIEG.3-G3-1 Regarding the article that DL-LIIEG.3-G3-1 posted, I was aware about the seriousness of the issue in many developed countries, but the statistics continue to shock me. Like the article said, it can be partly attributed to our “culture of tolerance”. Mental and physical violence against women is sometimes treated as a joke or as a light issue, and the film industry and media continues to portray women as weak and passive individuals.
However, people living in the First World are incredibly privileged. In other countries the situations is much worse, as women can’t work or study without their husband’s approval and are often seen as “baby-machines” and property to sell in exchange for land. Abusive relationships are also quite common, and many times women can’t file for divorce or sue their partner because it is illegal.
Gender violence can be seen all around the globe, so we must all stand together and fight to ensure a better future for our daughters.

 

·         ST-LIIEG.3-G3-1

Hi everyone! My name is ST-LIIEG.3-G3-1 and I live in a small town near Valencia. As you have been able to see I’m so absentminded and I always forget to visit iTECLA in order to take part in that dialogue, so sorry for that. I have been reading all the comments and the article + DL-LIIEG.3-G3-1 has linked and I can’t believe how we can call the UK a developed country with these statistics which show one of the most important problem that our society has nowadays.

After reading the article , I have found that photo edited on Twitter and it makes me think about the role society an governments play in these situations. It shows an advertising campaign made by the Spanish government where a daughter asks her mother for reporting the abuse she suffers. Someone has changed the message in order to protest against it. What do you think about it? Is it important that society and government act together against gender violence in order to make these actions effective?

·         DL-LIIEG.3-G3-1

Hi everyone, thank you for getting so involved in the discussion it’s really interesting to see your opinions! I agree it’s really shocking seeing the statistics of gender violence in England, I wasn’t even aware it happened often in England but the victims don’t openly talk about it due to fear. I personally feel that social media, TV and video games are influencing a lot of how we perceive genders because women always need a strong man to help them and save them, why don’t we show a women rescuing a man in Disney films so little girls can grow up knowing they are just as able and superior.

 

·         DL-LIIEG.3-G3-1

Please watch this video and let me know what you think about the influence of video games on children nowadays and how it relates to gender violence

youtube.com – Violence against women in video games.

Violence against women in video games.

 

·         ST-LIIEG.3-G3-2

+ DL-LIIEG.3-G3-1 that video is horriffying!! In my opinion, violence in video games often crosses the line. Obviously violence towards women is awful, but I think all kinds of violence are!

Moreover, have you noticed how women are portrayed? I have seen in the last comments that ST-LIIEG.3-G3-3 and ST-LIIEG.3-G3-5 were talking about how films, TV or social media are a big part of the issue, and I think we should include video games to the list. Women are harldy ever shown as the strong character. In addition, they are always wearing ridiculous outfits while men are protected and covered. Take a look at this picture I found that reflects this problem.

·         ST-LIIEG.3-G3-4

Hello girls! I consider myself as a feminist but I’m not a woman and I haven’t lived the sexism the same way. That’s why I’m focusing on how men can help women with their fight against the sexism. I’m nobody to tell women what they have to do yet I can tell men not to act so bad. I hope you like my post!

I think the picture that ST-LIIEG.3-G3-1 shared with us reflects pretty well my opinion. We, men, have been the problem and the cause of this situation, so, why do we act as if we weren’t involved? We have to assist women but we need to have something clear before beginning: WE are NOT the MAIN CHARACTER!
It also could be offensive that we take part of the fight feeling as affected as women when we have never been discriminated for our gender. Maybe we’ve felt out of the society due to our sexuality or race but nobody has judge us for the fact that we are men.
So, what can we do?
Well, firstly, quit paying compliments to women that walk alone in the middle of the night and haven’t asked your opinion about their body (This is a clear example) and then we can start helping. Look for information, be aware of the historical rolls that men and woman have had in the society and fight for the equality!

 

·         ST-LIIEG.3-G3-1

+ ST-LIIEG.3-G3-2 I completely agree with you. The women’s image is often distorted by videogames or TV shows which are followed by children or teenagers. They will act as their favourite characters often act in films. Consequently, young people will be educated in a sexist atmosphere where women should obey men and sexism rules the society.
It is our responsibility to change these small things in order to create a new society based on feminist rights. We will not be able to achieve that without men support which is as important as female raising awareness and support. In my opinion, it is essential that men take part in it actively because they should be an example for those who foster sexist actions and drag out that process of change.
Therefore, we have to avoid toxic people who try to show a mistaken view of these actions. The definition of feminism makes clear that women do not want to be greater than men but equal.

 

·         ST-LIIEG.3-G3-1

+ ST-LIIEG.3-G3-4As I have said before, it is essential that men take part in the feminist fight more actively than recent years. They feel that these recognitions have nothing to do with them but it is a great mistake. Men are the originator of all these unfair situations that provoke inequality between us and, for that reason, they will develop a crucial role in this fight if they choose to be aware of the problem and help women showing they are as capable to do something as them. Nevertheless, we have to be well organised and eradicate the problem altogether.
Firstly, we have to provide a superb education to our children in order not to make the same mistakes and offer them the possibility of growing in a society where men and women have enforced their rights and gender inequality does not exist anymore.
Secondly, providing information about this theme will avoid people who disagree with the feminist fight just because they ignore the reason why it was created so many years ago.
Finally, we just have to follow our main objectives and never give up although the fight be harder than we have expected.

 

·         ST-LIIEG.3-G3-4

+ ST-LIIEG.3-G3-2 I totally agree with you. We should start to solve the issue at schools, where children are still forming their personality. Fortunately, we have advanced and we don’t have different subjects depending on our gender anymore. For example, my mother had a subject called “hogar”, which literally means “home”. In this subject women used to learn to sew and clean while men were playing football. However, behaviours such as wearing different uniforms are still present in our society and ought to disappear.
I also would like to add something related to the second question DL-LIIEG.3-G3-1 had asked. There is a group of people that are promoting a new type of sexism: hembrism or reverse sexism. Well, this is an absurdity. They try to explain that there are women that hit men and that this women follow the hembrism because of this situation. That is a great mistake because they don’t understand that the sexism promote the hate toward women as a figure and a gender while this women would never hit men for being men, they would do it for other reasons that are not rooted in society.

 

English Language IV

Debate 1: Gender Violence

Owner:

L-LIV-G1-1
L-LIV-G1-2

Members:

ST-LIV-G1-1
ST-LIV-G1-2
ST-LIV-G1-3
ST-LIV-G1-4
ST-LIV-G1-5
ST-LIV-G1-6

Discussion Leader:

DL-LIV-G1-1
DL-LIV-G1-2

 

L-LIV-G1-1

FORUM debate 1/Gender violence
STEP 1
Individually write and post an introductory paragraph about yourselves together with four icebreaking questions to get started. Make sure you answer some of the questions posted by the other members of your Google+ community.

 

·         ST-LIV-G1-1

Hello everyone!

My name is ST-LIV-G1-1, and as the moderator of this group I’m responsible for breaking the ice and starting the conversation. I’m 19 years old and, since I’ve always been interested in languages, I’m currently studying Translation in English and in French as minor.

During this forum debate we must find a solution to an extremely important issue in our society: gender violence. To start off, I’m going to write some questions below so we can get started.

-Do you think that gender violence is an issue that we, as a society, should give priority to?

-In your opinion, do victims of gender abuse have enough legal protection?

-Do you believe that men can also be victims of gender violence?

 

·         ST-LIV-G1-5

Hello!

My name is ST-LIV-G1-5 and I’m 19 years old. I also study Translation in English and in German as minor in the University of Valencia. I’m so glad that we can talk about gender violence as it is a matter that mostly affects women in our country and in the rest of the world.

In connection with ST-LIV-G1-1’s first question, this issue should be at the top of our society’s problems because it risks the lives of 40 % of women and of 10 % of men. We all are victims unless we start doing something against gender violence, and, although women are the most affected, men must speak up too.

More and more the news shows cases of a woman who has been murdered by her husband, boyfriend, ex-husband or ex-boyfriend, and we tend to think that it is not for us. But imagine that you start dating some guy or girl and, in the beginning, everything seems perfect. Nevertheless, one day he or she establishes a little control on you that you play down. Then starts the yelling and, in some circumstances, he or she dares to assault you in a physical o psychical way. How do you think this is going to end up?
·         ST-LIV-G1-3

Hi, I’m ST-LIV-G1-3 and I also study English translation, and a minor of German. I have always liked languages and since I was very young I became interested in them, that is why I decided to start this career.
As my colleagues have commented, the issue of gender violence is really interesting and I think it is very important to talk about it. It is a problem that has persecuted us for many years and that women suffer anywhere in the world, regardless of economy, social class, culture … that is why it is necessary to take measures.
ST-LIV-G1-5’s question is one that I have always done to myself, and is, that if your partner at a given moment, in the middle of a discussion, assaults you, how do you think it will end?
Obviously, if it has happened once, it is more than likely that a second one will happen, and a third … and for that reason we must be very careful, not forgive, and not allow ourselves to be treated that way. As soon as something happens, it is very important to report, and also know that you have the support and affection of your loved ones, who will always help you.
For that reason, I believe that the answer to how an initial sample of male violence will end is obvious, and it is necessary to act as soon as possible.
Now, my question is: what ideas do you come up to fight against sexist violence?

 

·         ST-LIV-G1-2

Hello, my name is ST-LIV-G1-2 and I’m 20 years old. I study Translation in English and I also study German as minor at the University of Valencia. Actually, I love learning new languages, so I don’t reject studying others such as Italian or Chinese.

First of all, I think that this forum debate is a valuable way of sharing different ideas, especially it’s useful to learn how to express your own opinion respecting others’ point of view.

This is a controversial issue, we think that it’s something we can deal with but is not that easy. There are many cases of gender violence in which women are the victims, but sometimes it’s not this way. Men also can be violence victims. Everyone can suffer from this. We just need to stop it, human beings are able to reason about what we know and choose. At least, it is what we expect. No one deserves that pain.

To respond to ST-LIV-G1-3’s question, as far as I’m concerned, I see that we need to be aware, not all the victims know that, in fact, they are victims. We could help each other designing an app to talk about people’s own experiences so that others could react if they realize that something is going wrong with their partner.

We could think about many things related to this stuff.

What do you think about that?

Could you provide some ideas for tackling this problem?

 

·         L-LIV-G1-2

Forum debate 1/Gender violence

Discussion Leader(s): DL-LIV-G1-1 & DL-LIV-G1-2

Group members:
ST-LIV-G1-1
ST-LIV-G1-2
ST-LIV-G1-3
ST-LIV-G1-4
ST-LIV-G1-5
ST-LIV-G1-6

STEP 1: Breaking the Ice:
– Write and post an introductory paragraph together with four ice-breaking questions. Make sure you answer some of the questions posted by your group mates and the discussion leader(s).

STEP 2: Initiating the Discussion:
– With the guidance of the discussion leader(s) assigned to your group, write 4 or 5 posts of about 200 words each during this month (try to write at least one post a week).

 

·         ST-LIV-G1-6

Hi everyone! I am ST-LIV-G1-6, I’m nineteen years old and I study Translation and Interpreting in English, as well as a minor of Italian. I have always loved languages: English, French and Italian are my favourites. It’s true that it was a problem for me to chose one degree because I was stuck between some choices but at the end I thought this one was the best for me.
In my opinion, talking about sexist violence at University is like a dream because of its social repercussion. All of us know that anyone wants to talk publicly about this issue.
I don’t know about other countries but here in Spain it has become really a serious problem and each day, an average of 6 women are killed by them husbands.

 

·         ST-LIV-G1-6

I don’t think that men can suffer from gender violence, I mean, it’s possible that there are (a minority of) men that are killed by them wifes, but there’s no color between the number of men who kill women and the number of women that kill men. It’s probably a 95% against the remaining 5%

 

·         ST-LIV-G1-5

I think that ST-LIV-G1-2’s proposal of creating an app to share testimonies of women who have suffered from sexual harassment or abuse, is a beneficial way to control the wrong issues that happen at home.
I also consider that the application could make its services wider, thus, to add an emergency button which alerts the authorities in the case of an act of gender violence. This might help women who are not able to call the 016 or think that their partners may discover them, in all cases, aggravating the situation.

Imagine that you are the victim and, all of a sudden, you become aware that your aggressor is coming to you and things are going to get worse. It won’t take you more than a few seconds to log in the app and press the button. Meanwhile, you are sending a warning to the police station, whose officers will reach to your place thanks to the localisation system included in your mobile phone.

Besides, this service is no only for the victims, but also for other family members, relative or friends who witness the situation or are concerned about the abuse. Instead of standing aside from the problem, they may download this application and report de abuse.

 

·         ST-LIV-G1-1

I believe that the creation of an app like the one ST-LIV-G1-2 and ST-LIV-G1-5 proposed is a great idea to help abused women not to feel alone. Thanks to this app, they would feel like they have a community that can support them.

However, we need to acknowledge the fact that many women believe this violent behavour to be normal from a man because they were raised that way. According to an article published by Gioconda Belli in The Guardian, the root of the problem resides in the education men recieve from their youth. Apparently, I can’t include the link of the article because the system would automatically mark it as spam and my post would be deleted. The title of the article is “Gender Violence is not just a ‘women’s issue’”, published in the website of The Guardian on the 14th of December 2016.

According to this article, we, as a society, need to make an effort to change the mentality that drives men to commit these crimes. At the end of the day, even if we give the victims tools to protect them from their abusers, it is far more effective to educate young men to understand equality and respect, and to stop them from objectifying women.

The most effective way to deal with this problem according to the author is to create educational programmes. Bearing this information in mind, can you think of any other solutions to fight gender violence?

 

·         ST-LIV-G1-5

Education is fundamental to give people, and mainly men, the values of respect and equality to the women, among others. As it occurred last Thursday, in the International Women’s Day, almost every woman and many men went out to the streets to defend their rights, and it was awesome. Making such a protest is something that must make us feel proud, on the other side, it has been centuries since women started standing up for their rights and nothing has changed at all.
I agree with ST-LIV-G1-1 in creating educational programmes because teaching these values at school may help boys and girls to be aware of the matter. Besides, in these days, most of the schools are a place where one as much as the other are raised in the same educational and behaviour ways.Moreover, if the students take the programme together, they won’t feel differences between them.
Nevertheless, in my opinion, the heart of the problem resides in the education that parents give to their children. The patriarchal figure should be eradicated, otherwise when a boy grows up, he thinks that he has a kind of power over the woman which allows him to hurt her.

 

·         DL-LIV-G1-1

Hi everyone! My name is DL-LIV-G1-1 or DL-LIV-G1-1 for short. I’m 21 from Birmingham, England and I’m here in Valencia on my Erasmus year because I study Spanish and Business at the University of Coventry. My hobbies include:
-being with friends and family
-researching into different historical events
-travelling
-sleeping and eating haha!

I really love Harry Potter, makeup and UK Grime (a type of music), I love Giggs (a music artist), Skepta, Stormzy, Ghetts, J Hus and Lotto Boyz

My questions are: do you think women should have more rights than they do currently?
Is it fair that it is seen as worse if a man hits a women, than if a women hits a man?
Does culture play the biggest part in gender violence?
What would you do to change the issue of gender violence?

 

·         DL-LIV-G1-1

Here is the official definition of gender violence, do you think this is appropriate, or can there be any changes made to make it fairer to both genders? ‘Gender-based violence describes acts which result in physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering to women, according to the United Nations. It is a global issue, affecting thousands. Women and girls are the most vulnerable to this form of violence but increasingly men and boys are also affected’
·         DL-LIV-G1-1

dailymail.co.uk – Domestic violence ‘reaching crisis’
Please also go ahead and read the article I have added in the link. It is an insight to gender based violence in Britain and it has really shocked me. Are you surprised this type of abuse is allowed in the UK, even though the UK is seen as one of the most developed countries? Is there a difference between gender violence in developed and underdeveloped countries? Please send your opinions guys!

Domestic violence ‘reaching crisis’

dailymail.co.uk

 

 

·         ST-LIV-G1-1

Welcome to the discussion, DL-LIV-G1-1! Your article was a really interesting read and I think it adds a thought-provoking view of the issue at hand. It truly was shocking to read that, in the UK, one in every three adults believe that it is okay to hit a woman. You would think that this wouldn’t be the mindset of such a developed and modern country.

Sadly, the outlook in Spain isn’t different. According to an article in El País, the number of victims of gender violence has risen a 2,4% (https://elpais.com/elpais/2017/05/31/inenglish/1496243416_419062.html).

As of your questions, I firmly believe that culture plays a crucial role in gender violence. Historically, women have been percieved as weak and sweet. The duty of a woman was to stay at home, nurture her children, cook and keep the house tidy for her husband. Thankfully, this mentality is slowly starting to shift in more developed countries, but that is not the case in underdeveloped countries. In some of these countries, it is socially acceptable to abuse of women both physically and psychologically if they do not meet those expectations or, in other words, if they don’t fulfill what are believed to be their duties as a woman, wife and mother.

As our discussion is coming to an end, we must decide which of the proposals is going to be more effective. Do you think it is better to create an app to help abused women, or is it better to create an educational program to educate young people?
Gender abuse in Spain: Gender violence rate rises in Spain for second consecutive year | In English | EL PAÍS

elpais.com

 

·         ST-LIV-G1-2

+ ST-LIV-G1-1
First of all, I think that both proposals are useful, but as we can see this kind of programs didn’t work as they should. The reason why is that when boys and girls receive this education they have already been influenced by their culture or their families or maybe just by tv programs like reality shows.

Each country has its culture and its traditions, besides that, children tend to reproduce what they see. So that it is important to educate children in equality and teach them that there’s no reason to have prejudices about different people.

It would be interesting to provide educational sessions to female and male high-school or college students in mixed-sex groups. So they are able to learn about different types of abuse, gender stereotypes and society’s acceptance of violence against women.

 

·         ST-LIV-G1-2

+ ST-LIV-G1-2
On the other hand, creating an app would be really helpful. It could include a forum where woman can talk about their own experiences and realise that they are not alone.

Some girls don’t know that they’re being battered and this app could open their eyes and help them to stop it.
It could also incorporate an emergency option for extreme situations that could happen.

Which items would you add to the app? Any ideas are welcome!

 

·         ST-LIV-G1-3

+ ST-LIV-G1-2 The idea of ​​an App is really interesting. I think it should be a simple, comfortable and that any mobile can have installed. Thus, we would make sure that women could use it even if they do not have an expensive mobile phone.
For example, a great idea would be make pressing a key enough to get in touch with the police. In this way, it would be very quick in case of being in emergency.
But also, for example, it would include a forum where women who have left a situation of gender violence and others who are going through it can talk and dedicate themselves to tell their experiences and try to support each other, because nobody will understand you better than a person who is going through the same thing as you.
In addition, another idea would be that the app also include, for example, all kinds of tips such as financial aid, job offers … everything that can be helpful in case, for example, the abused husband leaves the home and the woman has of less money, to help these women to be independent and not to be afraid for their economy.

 

·         ST-LIV-G1-3

+ ST-LIV-G1-1 + ST-LIV-G1-1 is much more important to educate young people not to mistreat. In this way, women would suffer much less, if there is never a case of sexist violence in their lives.
For me, it begins from childhood, telling children what colors they should wear, what toys they should choose … then, as a teenager they grow up, thinking that if a boy and a girl are friends it is because they like each other, that If a girl goes out partying a lot it is because she is an «easy» girl etc, we are educated from a young age and we have to be clear that we have very settle that kind of behaviors that we already see as normal but that are not at all.
Just enough to put the news to see that day after day women are killed by their husbands and this situation has no end, when will stop? It is clear that an app is a good help and I see it as a great idea, but of course it is much more important to educate children since they are born in feminism, in equality, and in this way they will not conceive a world with violence of genre.
A really interesting article that I found and that talks about this very well is: http://machistaenrehabilitacion.com/entender-el-problema/lecciones-para-educar-sin-machismo and I recommend everyone to take a look

 

·         ST-LIV-G1-5

Going through the tools to finish with gender violence, I consider that both seem to be useful and might help lots of women.
The mobile application can be used to inform against abuse and mistreatment and may help the police to arrive in a faster way. But let us not fool ourselves – this won’t eradicate the violence. We are looking for something that stops women from being abused or killed and the app may appear as rather the contrary.
Therefore, education at home and school is primordial, because if parents, teachers or adults don’t tell children what to do, then, who will? They must be concerned about what they want their children to be in the future and this isn’t an issue only for adult women, but also for men.
In relation with school programmes, I have found an article in theguardian.com – News, sport and opinion from the Guardian’s global edition | The Guardian about a school where children wear uniform. It says that school girls can wear trousers if they want to, in the same way that boys are allowed to wear skirts. The aim of this is to aware people that if we start separating boys and girls at small ages just in the dress code, what would happen when they grow up and think of emotions, roles or sexuality?
What do you think? Here is the link to the article, take a look! 😊
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/sep/19/school-trousers-skirts-equality-john-lewis-uniform

News, sport and opinion from the Guardian’s global edition | The Guardian

theguardian.com

 

·         DL-LIV-G1-1

Hi everyone thanks for the great response! It is really shocking how the media is feeding this issue, especially in a shop like John Lewis, which is a really respected place to shop in England! Does anyone think that gender violence is still around in Spain today because of Franco? The older generations in Spain could still have the misogynistic attitude that was around in Franco’s reign. Let me know what you think!

 

·         DL-LIV-G1-1

please also watch the video below, do you think video games are influencing gender violence after watching the video

youtube.com – Violence against women in video games.

Violence against women in video games.