Be Aware: A Program Against Gender Violence

The initiative is attached to Centro Sofia at Sagrado Corazón University.

By Centro Sofía

The Be Aware: Share The Attitude (BASTA) program -attached to Centro Sofía– was recently launched at Sagrado Corazón University, to educate about and prevent domestic violence in marriage and other relationships, as well as sexual assault and stalking.

Be Aware will create safe spaces of equity and inclusion for our university community through effective approaches and responses in the form of prevention and intervention on campus.

The launch event began with Gilberto Marxuach-Torrós, president of Sagrado, greeting those in attendance and recognizing Sagrado’s trajectory of raising awareness about gender violence.

Marxuach-Torrós was joined by representatives of the Casa Protegida Julia de Burgos and Coordinadora Paz para la Mujer, two organizations with 30 years of experience in activism, education, prevention, and support for victims. Dr. Teresa Gracia Agenjo, professor at the School of Health and Sciences, and Dr. Nina Torres Vidal, professor emeritus, served as guest speakers. Both have developed multiple initiatives in order to foster inclusion and gender equity in Sagrado.

“Education must be a liberating experience, based on respect and solidarity. We have to take a look at where this oppressive patriarchal system and the various manifestations of violence are produced, built, and justified,” said Torres Vidal at the Sala Mater.

As for Gracia Agenjo, she made a call to reflect on the perpetuation of violence: “We must look for new ways to unlearn these unequal power relations. Be Aware is a strategic plan that, within long-term processes, is designed to achieve concrete changes. At Sagrado, there is zero tolerance for violence, and it has a tradition of addressing these issues to build a society that strengthens the values ​​of its mission,” she explained.

The activity also included a musical interpretation of the song Por las que no están (For those who are no longer here), by Marileyda Hernández, performed by student Miliangelí Ramos.

The Be Aware office -led by attorney Yanira Liceaga, clinical social worker Fabiola Torres, and coordinator of psychological services Sandra Morales- is located in the first level of the Women’s Residence Hall. Write to beaware@sagrado.edu, for more information.

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