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For a violence-free U! Unicauca is committed to building safe spaces

19 February, 2026

The Comprehensive Care Course on Gender-Based Violence and Sexual Violence concluded with resounding success. It was held from March 25 to April 5, 2025, and included the participation of staff and contractors from our institution. This initiative undoubtedly contributes to promoting effective strategies for addressing cases of violence and discrimination.

“We want zero violence at our University,” stated Pedro Aníbal Yanza Mera, Vice Chancellor for Culture and Well-Being at the University of Cauca. To advance toward this goal, the Vice Chancellery, in collaboration with the Committee on Gender-Based and Sexual Violence and with the support of the Center for Continuing, Open, and Virtual Education (CECAV), conducted the Comprehensive Training Course on Gender-Based and Sexual Violence. Although this first edition of the course was aimed at the university’s staff, including contractors, it is planned that, in the near future, it will be extended to members of all university groups.

This training and outreach initiative was carried out over four in-person sessions held between March 25 and April 5, 2025.

The first session, titled “Perspectives and Realities within the Framework of Gender-Based, Sexual, and Prejudice-Related Violence at Our Alma Mater and Society at Large,” featured the participation of Nilsa Eugenia Fajardo Hoyos, lawyer and Unicauca professor, and took place in the Aula Máxima of the Faculty of Natural, Exact, and Educational Sciences of Unicauca.

In the second session, held in the Virginia Gutiérrez Auditorium of the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences, the focus was on the topic “Unlearning with Sexual Diversities and Gender Identities: Can One Be Themselves at the University?”, featuring participation from José Daniel Gallego, an LGBTIQ+ activist.

Subsequently, in the third meeting, a strategic issue was addressed: “What Is the Purpose and Function of the Care Pathway?”, led by psychologist Camila Hurtado and lawyer Carolina Arcos, with the session taking place in the Auditorium of the Faculty of Accounting, Economics, and Administrative Sciences.

The fourth session, held in the Aula Máxima of the Faculty of Natural, Exact, and Educational Sciences, covered topics such as Unicaucana sorority, psychological first aid, and assertive communication, and was led by staff from the Division of Integral Health and Human Development.

Finally, the fifth session, titled “Weaving Together for a University Free of Gender-Based Violence (GBV),” was enriched by the participation of social organizations such as Furia Marica with Juan Diego Medina, Caribe Afirmativo with Cris Agredo, and Aquelarre, Feminist Design Laboratory with Olga Benavidez, and was also held in the Auditorium of the Faculty of Accounting, Economics, and Administrative Sciences.

“The development of each session was very enriching because it provided us with tools to know how to apply the gender protocol, how to denaturalize implicit forms of violence, and it also taught us how to provide psychological first aid. One could even say that there was not enough time to share more experiences and perspectives,” stated María Alejandra Medina, a Unicauca contractor who attended the sessions.

Similarly, Vice Chancellor Yanza emphasized that, “The impact we aim to achieve through this course is to foster at the University of Cauca a safe space, a space free of violence, a space that allows us to encounter and recognize each other in our differences, and to acknowledge the diverse identities present within our university and coexisting within it.”

We hope that soon we will be able to extend the invitation to participate in the second edition of this important training process, a clear example of how, through real actions, we reaffirm our commitment to advancing toward a violence-free university.

The tools provided during the course are expected to be highly useful for attendees, allowing them to apply these skills in the various spaces they occupy daily within the university, thereby contributing to the construction of an increasingly safe environment for everyone. Likewise, we extend the invitation to professors to remain attentive and participate in this initiative, which seeks to strengthen awareness across the entire university community regarding Gender-Based and Sexual Violence.