Cases of sexist violence among the adolescent population have skyrocketed in just four years. Specifically, from 2018 to 2022, the number of victims of gender-based violence has grown by 87.2% and in 57% of cases the aggressors were the partners, according to a study recently published by the ANAR Foundation, funded by the ministry of Equality
Another worrying figure is the increase in the number of sexual assaults perpetrated by people under the age of 18, as reflected in a report by the State Attorney General's Office (FGE). In 2022, 974 sexual assaults committed against teenagers were recorded, a figure that represents an increase of 45.8% compared to a year earlier and 116% in the last five years.
Sociologist Carmen Ruiz Repullo, who gives talks on gender violence in schools and colleges, believes that girls have normalized things like the jealousy is a sign of love or that without suffering there is no love. In addition, he also talks about the theory of the cyclic scale. According to this, when a teenage couple begins a relationship, a stage begins in which both go up the steps, through which the boy increasingly controls the girl.
To deal with the cycle of sexist violence among adolescents, it is important to raise awareness of its existence among this group. With this goal in mind, Suara Cooperativa has teamed up with start-up V-Tools to use innovation and technology to tackle a critical problem: the prevention of gender-based violence among the younger population.
In this sense, the startup V-Tools has developed an immersive experience that is based on the gender violence scale of the sociologist Ruiz Repullo. So, with the theory of the cyclical scale in the background, what is being pursued through the tool of V-Tools and Suara Cooperativa is to sensibilize the youth population about the phenomenon of male violence as a preventive measure.
For now, this pilot test is planned to implement services that it manages such as the Residential Educational Action Centers (CRAE), youth spaces, as well as in other services in which they accompany the adolescent and youth population in their transition to in adulthood. This approach reflects the importance of raising awareness from the earliest stages of life to prevent gender-based violence.
A prominent feature of this initiative is its desire to actively involve the youth population in their communities. In addition to providing them with tools to recognize, prevent and combat gender-based violence, the program also focuses on building healthy relationships and promoting equality.
This holistic approach aims not only to prevent gender-based violence, but also to create a society where gender equality is the norm and where healthy relationships are the foundation of personal interactions.
