UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

10/04/2021 | Press release | Archived content

Young gender advocates join Caribbean Sheroes Summer School on Gender Equality, Advocacy and Development

Young people working in human rights and social justice advocacy had the opportunity to network with other young advocates from youth-led organizations during the Caribbean Sheroes Summer School for Gender Equality, Advocacy and Development.

Through five intensive virtual evening classes spanning two weeks, from October 4 to 12, 30 young people from 13 countries and territories in the English and Dutch-speaking Caribbean learned basic concepts and tools for project planning in human rights and sustainable development, focusing on gender equality. Specifically, the training provided knowledge about gender, gender mainstreaming, femininities and masculinities, and advocacy to ground youth participants in both the scholarship and practicum of advocacy. The summer school was facilitated by the Institute for Gender and Development Studies (IGDS) at the University of the West Indies.

Saadia Sanchez-Vegas, Director and Representative of the UNESCO Cluster Office for the Caribbean, pointed to the high levels of gender-based violence in the Caribbean that "affects at least one in every three women, making this one of the most widespread human rights violations in the region." She identified "culturally sanctioned behaviours and preconceived notions of traditional gender norms" as leading root causes of exclusion and discrimination against women in the Caribbean.

Professor Paula Morgan, University Director of the Institute for Gender and Development Studies (IGDS) Regional Coordinating Unit (RCO) at the University of the West Indies (UWI), stressed that "the best way to foster progress is to ensure that the baton is passed on fast to the next generation."