Andalucía pushes for gender equality in education at Torremolinos convention
Andalucía launches ‘Iguales en Igualdad’ app and #RedFlagChallenge to help parents and teachers detect early signs of digital abuse among teenagers
The coastal town of Torremolinos hosted the sixth Andalusian Convention on Gender Equality in Education this Monday, February 2.
Presided over by Loles López, the Regional Minister for Social Inclusion, the event centered on a core message: investing in equality in the classroom is an investment in social freedom and emotional well-being.
Speaking to over 1,000 attendees at the Palacio de Congresos, López described equality as a "collective task" that requires co-responsibility between families, teachers, and students.
Under the slogan ‘Lived, learned, and shared equality,’ the two-day event aims to reflect on how education serves as the primary shield against gender-based violence.
López said that there are still "significant challenges to achieving true equality", especially when new cases of gender-based violence persevere as "the cruelest expression of inequality". The regional minister called for "a united society of women and men".
López detailed the regional ministry's main lines of action in gender equality education, among which is the 'Iguales en Igualdad' mobile phone app for teachers, families and students. The app brings together all the necessary educational resources for all educational stages, from the nursery to high school.
She highlighted the importance of training in the digital sphere, given that "young people are digital natives", which makes it essential to train families and professionals to "detect, prevent and act against the different forms of violence in this area".
This strategy involves training by professionals from women's centres and the #RedFlagChallenge awareness campaign aimed at teenagers and young people from the ages of 14 to 20.
López said that the subject of the Torremolinos event is not simply a methodology, but "a way of understanding the society we want to build". To achieve this, she stated, educational centres must be spaces for healthy relationship, where no type of violence is encouraged. "Educating in equality means teaching how to look at the world with a critical perspective, capable of detecting inequalities and eradicating them," she said.
Family environment
According to López, it is essential to involve the entire family in teaching respect, tolerance and equality as fundamental values.
Regional Minister of Educational Development and Professional Formation María del Carmen Castillo talked about the programme of Comisión Negociadora de Igualdad for teachers, the aim of which is to ensure that teachers have the necessary training and support to lead cultural change in the classroom.
Trainings, workshops and other initiative of the regional ministry are working towards involving the entire educational community in the prevention of gender-based violence. The Ada (Alumnado Ayudante Digital Andaluz) and ConRed Andalucía programmes are prime examples.
