The rector of the URV: “What is enough to prevent the machismo violence from happening”

María José Figueras is one of the small pockets in front of a university in Spain. La Rector of the University of Rovira i Virgili (URV) is well acquainted with the doctrine and research of universities, campuses in which he has worked as a professor of Microbiology and a researcher specializing in Ambient Microbiology. This diary has been linked to the rise of the MeToo scandal at the university, caused by 25 professors and investigators in the PERIOD.

What did the testimony of the 25 MeToo women at the university say?

These testimonies show that civil violence is reproduced in all the ambitions of our society, including in the university, but that the number of denunciations or those that lie in our possession is bad. One of the fundamental elements to make front of the machinism violations is the visibility and denunciation, as in these cases, of any conduct that is contrary to the rights of women. We know, moreover, of the importance of accompanying the victim and the risk, as he explains some of these women, of Islam supremacy or reprisals for this hecho, which shows the complications that the redemption of this type of aggression and against which are located at the universities.

As a researcher and lecturer, do you know this problem? At the moment at the top?

Solo considered a case in the principle of my career, that more than violence of gender as it was a case of inequality of opportunity by question of gender. A cathedric wants his disciple, who has less antiquity than you are in the institution, to occupy a place at full time antes that you have the right to be a man and justify what he has to maintain a family. Finally, the decision was taken by a collegiate organ that voted in my favor.

Do you know any cases?

Debo says that he has always worked hard for men, but surely he is not satisfied with this violence and he has seen me in the most serious way.

And as a rector? What causes this problem?

In the URV, since the protocol was approved, in July 2019, 13 cases were presented, mostly by female students who were informed of some type of agreement by partners (5 cases), professors (5 cases) or external ( 3 cases). There are 13 different types of cases and different relationships between victims and tax collectors. Querría apuntar que no hemos tenido ningas casa de intervening intervention presented by teaching staff or administration.

I am aware that these figures do not reflect the totality of the existing violence against the women in the university community and that there are certainly more cases that exist and that we do not have. Acabar with machinism and the impunity of the accusers is a long process that requires compromise and time, but creates that are important and positive steps. And in the media we can, contribute, with our actions, and that the accused women explain what happens. And above all, we make a compromise against the impunity of whoever possesses the violence.

The URV has a protocol for cases of acoustics from 2013. When my team reads the URV’s rector’s, we impose the elaboration and approval of a second protocol directed specifically to the student and, from the first moment, we are working to form it University community with different campaigns, like cycles of conferences and webinars, MOOC courses, a Podcast series with the title ‘FemIgualtat’, and a detached form, a campaign with Purple Points on all campus of the university.

In addition, the URV is working for a fast response and ensures that women are informed and, above all, accompanied by those who are in comfortable situations. This is why we always guarantee the principle of confidentiality, respect and protection for the affected women.

Finally, we also have the desire to investigate each case in all its amplitude and also, in the midst of the possibilities that we offer the existing legal mark, sanction the conduct of acoso. For the sake of completeness, many of the investigations carried out with the word of one against the other and, as a matter of fact, have been tested, can be frustrating to see who has overcome the violence. Consider what is important to avoid in order to avoid many cases.

¿Cree que la initiative of the CIC to impulse a general protocol common to all universities ayudará?

Universities tend to work in the loop against the violent violence of form coordinated always respecting university autonomy, which is a necessary and imperative element to impel any transformation and major of the university. The work that he has been doing and is being done by the universities, and in particular the URV, in relation to the protocols considered to be very positive. By the way, it is working to give the protocols between all the community; secondly, is working to form the professorship and the PAS; and in order to lie, it is also working to guarantee the best attention to the women who denounce any situation of accusation and / or violent violence.

As far as I am concerned, it is really important to have a procedure that is efficient for responding to the victims and ensuring a smooth coordination between the different units of the university. At the same time, I believe that it is very important that the University can coordinate with the services of the Generalitat that are specialized in the field of machinism and then offer professional support to women who are victims of this machinism, animations and the denunciation of the hechos.

The affected ones signal that the problem is in the deficient application of the protocols. What practical practices does it take to implement to tackle the problem, effectively penalize the accusers and prevent the victim from violating what the victims are doing?

I’m aware that a vow is an act, it is difficult, by no means impossible, to completely repair the victim’s victim, especially in cases of sexual violence.

The protocols are imperative tools for a good response to women who suffer from violence. Its mechanisms are constantly being revised and it is getting better and better than applying. In the URV, however, in each case in which the protocol is applied, it is necessary to modify it in some respects, and we are aware that the reality of the violence against the women is very large and presents many ways. In order to guarantee the best response to this violation, the URV is committed to what it is in our cases but it must be presented that the application of the protocols also implies the application of a legal suprauniversity mark that defines a part of the instruments available, as well as the sanctions, to comply with the conduct of action.

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Do you believe that women and the university are fortunate enough?

It goes without saying that the university and the women will be forced to resign in the midst of which the university community will compromise in this case against violence and, above all, when we insure that the accusers do not commit anything. This is a job that also involves all the structures of the State that have responsibility in the case of machismo violence. For the university it is imperative to form adequately in its commitment to our students. Our compromise is, above all, to offer a training that promotes equality between men and women and, also, to offer the help that we have to design the best prevention and eradication mechanisms of laxity that mean violence.