Protocol against gender violence for the organization
During 2020, Fundación Plurales was designing a Protocol against gender violence. This document generates a regulatory and procedural framework for situations of violence that take place inside or outside each organization.
Historically, we have worked with women and have been incorporating the gender perspective into our practices and actions. We work from prevention and awareness about gender violence. But when a situation of abuse occurred in which a person who is part of the organizations we work with is involved, we saw the urgent need to capture in a normative document those situations conceptualized as gender violence. So, we technically and judicially accompany the person who reported the abuse and we decided to generate a tool that makes clear which situations will not be tolerated, both in the internal work and in the work we carry out with the organizations in the territories.
Verónica Luna, president of Fundación Plurales and one of those who participated in the process, says that “it is a living document that we will review and modify as required. The important thing is that we are incorporating it into the life of the organizations as a framework, another framework, for the collective work that we do.”
In April of this year, when we were finally able to return to the territory, we presented the document personally, to explain it to them, to tell them what it is about. With the intention that they can review it collectively, make all the queries they have and sign it as an agreement.
“It was very well received by the organizations, especially by the women. They were the ones who openly expressed the usefulness of the document as an instrument, as a possibility of reviewing the practices of daily life within the organizations,” says Verónica.
The protocol does not refer to specific cases, but rather summarizes the national and international regulatory framework in relation to gender; it has general considerations on the objectives; the scope and a small map of procedures in situations of violence. This document aims to build safe spaces free of violence against women; avoid re-victimization once a situation of violence is known; ensure specialized personnel in charge of implementing and monitoring the protocol; informed consent in the processes of care for people in situations of human rights violations; ensuring confidentiality.
We decided to undertake this project jointly with another space, because we believe that more perspectives enrich the work. “E género y diversidad” accompanied and guided us in the construction of the protocol. We spoke with Lic. Ana Paula Ortiz Sosa, one of its members, to find out how they experienced the process.
“A co-construction process was carried out, together with the team, using agile methodologies where we focused on the needs of the institution, generating an instrument that addresses both intra-institutional and extra-institutional situations. Providing key tools to address them,” explains the Social Work graduate who is part of the Gender Commission of the Professional College, the Mental Health Observatory and Women in Technology Córdoba.
According to Ana, the advantages of organizations having this type of protocols have to do with having a clear path to address situations, avoiding the re-victimization of people and generating protection and prevention actions. “In addition to this, a clear organizational culture is generated regarding violence-free spaces,” she adds.
The protocol will be implemented in the areas where all members of any organization work, as well as in the territories and communities with which they work. Office, workplace, travel, field, territory, work meetings, internal and with other organizations, in territorial communities, in meetings and in the linkage and articulation with other organizations. In the case of the procedure map, it refers to the optimal, structural search focused on proactive actions: Prevention, to avoid something happening, and reparation, in case it happens.
There are many expectations, first of all that it is more explicit what the situations of gender violence are and that the practices in the daily life of people and organizations in the territories are denaturalized and questioned. “We hope that the protocol will be an instrument of consultation, of debate, a trigger that comes to life. That it will be part of the daily life of organizations, that it can be constantly reviewed, that it will put us under pressure to adapt it to each situation and in each context,” concludes Verónica.
