In 2011, Promundo started the Awareness on Gender, Sexuality and Health project, sponsored by Petrobras. The project, which will reach 11 Brazilian states, aims to offer workshops to promote gender equity and the sexual and reproductive health of adolescents, young people, women and men. Around 2000 people will benefit from the workshops by the end of the year. The target audience includes teenagers, young people, community leaders, health agents, education professionals, and members of non-governmental organizations from around 30 Brazilian cities where Petrobras operates.
The proposal is to bring together representatives from different areas in order to establish integrated actions between health, education, community and public policy sectors and municipal networks to protect the rights of children and adolescents, and also discuss the norms that influence relationships between men and women and interfere with the sexual and reproductive health of adolescents and young people. Among the topics covered in the recreational activities and debates are: gender, sexuality, sexual health and reproductive health and violence.
Suzano - São Paulo
Ways to guarantee the protection of the rights of children, adolescents and young people and differences in power related to age group are also addressed, with the development of action plans to promote gender equality and the sexual and reproductive health of adolescents and young people .
A participant from Santa Luzia do Itanhi, Sergipe, states that the workshop helped her to see herself in a different way and to recognize her rights. “I understood that the fact that I am a woman does not make me inferior to a man, that I do not need to be ashamed to talk about sex and that trying to prevent myself is nothing more than my right.”
According to Danielle Bittencourt, facilitator of the workshops, the project has been very well received throughout the country. “People generally receive the discussion in a very positive way”, she states. Participants also receive a manual that brings together dynamics and techniques for the work to promote gender equity in Programs H and M, Promundo's reference programs. “This material has been very useful and is also very well received”, adds Danielle.
Participants are encouraged to disseminate and record actions to promote gender equity and sexual and reproductive health of adolescents and young people, planned during the workshops. This record will form the Best Practices Notebook, which aims to disseminate experiences of raising awareness among women and men, adolescents and young people, regarding gender inequalities, sexual rights and reproductive rights, violence prevention, self-care, among other topics.
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