Gender Violence Research Articles

Analysis of scientific production on women entrepreneurs in conflict zones

This article presents a bibliometric analysis of the scientific production about women entrepreneurs in conflict zones, to identify trends, gaps, and areas of opportunity in research on this topic. Through a methodological approach based on seven dimensions and a continuous disaggregation process, the evolution of the field and its impact in contexts affected by violence were examined. The results showed a significant growth in academic production during the last decade, with an interdisciplinary approach that integrates gender, economic, and human rights perspectives. International collaboration networks were identified, as well as the predominance of topics such as economic empowerment, gender violence, and resilience in post-conflict contexts. However, gaps were observed in the representation and practical application of academic findings in public policies. The study presents lines to strengthen research, foster global collaboration, generate new knowledge, and base concrete actions that promote female entrepreneurship as a tool for social transformation in conflict zones.

Analysis and Review of the Research and Advocacy for Behavioral Change Related to the Denormalization of Gender Violence in Spanish Universities

Research on gender violence in Spanish universities began in 2003, 8 years after the first official denunciation. Conducting the first statewide survey on this issue was a significant step. This study provided essential data on gender violence in these institutions and reviewed effective prevention and response strategies from other countries. Further qualitative studies emerged that analyzed the behaviors of faculty, students, staff, decision-makers, and the media, which either perpetuated or prevented gender violence, along with the psychological and health impacts on victims and their supporters. After more than 20 years, a comprehensive literature review is needed to systematize these findings. To address this gap, a literature review was conducted to examine the behavioral changes within the university community and other relevant social actors regarding gender violence in universities. The results indicate that, although there is still some resistance, significant behavioral shifts have occurred, fostering a supportive network among faculty, researchers, staff, and students, which has contributed to an increased sense of safety.

Feminist politics and gender equality in Britain

Abstract According to some indicators, Britain has become a more gender-equal society over the past two decades. And yet, as we argue in this article, these gains are undermined by persistent gendered inequalities and violence. Progress has been made principally in relation to what we might think of as liberal feminist demands—especially access to power. Yet even this progress is undermined by persistent and pervasive gendered violence and inequality—all of which takes place against the backdrop of the 2008 financial crash, the departure of the UK from the European Union, as well as the global COVID-19 pandemic. We recognise and welcome the presence of active and vibrant feminist groups and organisations in Britain who have campaigned creatively on a range of issues. Nonetheless, there remains much to do to advance feminist interests and to achieve gender equality for all women in British politics.

Translating violence in India: Literary representations and the cartography of gender-based violence

This article examines the challenges of translating gender-based violence (GBV), focusing on English translations of select Hindi fiction depicting ‘honour’ killing—a specific form of GBV. Situated at the intersection of caste, gender, and sexual violence, these texts challenge societal structures and often remain non-canonical or controversial. As markers of violence, they present significant linguistic, cultural, and ethical challenges for translators. Honour killing narratives, often classified as ‘problem texts,’ expose the faultlines of the socio-cultural framework in which they are set. Consequently, translating such texts involves negotiating not only linguistic complexities but also cultural sensitivities and ethical responsibilities. This article adopts a methodological focus on translating key passages from two long short stories in Hindi: Tiriya Charittar ([1987]2010) by Shivmurti and Daag Diya Sach (2012) by Ramnika Gupta. These passages, central to the narratives, require careful translation strategies to address issues such as non-standard registers, oral traditions, graphic depictions of violence, and linguistic assertions of identity. By problematizing these challenges, the article explores strategies for rendering the socio-cultural complexities embedded in the source texts, particularly the tension between rural linguistic specificities and the demands of the target language. Through textual and contextual analysis, it foregrounds the ethical imperatives of translating GBV and honour killing narratives. Ultimately, it argues for the necessity of making such literary works available in English and across Indian languages, not just to introduce ‘new’ knowledge but to contribute to broader discussions on gender, caste, sexuality, and marginality in contemporary India.

African women and the law

This case study relates to the Women and Law in Southern Africa – Zambia (WLSA – Zambia), an NGO with its headquarters in Lusaka. This organisation is engaged in fighting strenuously and successfully against discrimination, inequalities and gender violence, mainly resulting from the persistence of customary laws and its practices which sometimes jeopardises women and delays their empowerment and emancipation. Since in Zambia, as well as in many other African countries, land is still the primary source of wealth and livelihood, WLSA-Zambia and its members have been highlighting the significant legal, social and political problems caused by of gender inequalities in accessing land. Accordingly, they demand remedial legal reforms, develop citizens’ legal awareness and support women’s struggle to secure land rights. By presenting individual experiences and different viewpoints, and adopting a wealth of qualitative methodologies, my research work is a contribution, in anthropological perspective, to a better understanding of the multiple ways in which gender and law can interact.

Creation of Educational Technology Resources to Raise Awareness of Gender Violence Through a Service Learning Project

This contribution is part of the Service Learning (SL) project “Abre tus ojos” (Open your eyes), whose main objective is to contribute to the coeducation and gender violence awareness of future education professionals. In line with the dimensions of sustainable human development, the actions developed in this SL project are directly related to helping people and groups in need. Students from different courses at the Faculty of Education of the University of Burgos have been involved in the training activities of an Association for Assistance to Victims of Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence (ADAVAS Burgos) through the design of technological educational resources that contribute to raising awareness of gender violence. As a result of the project, a web repository has been created with technological educational resources created by the students (videos, infographics, stories, games). This repository is open access and is presented as a resource contributing to the goal of Sustainable Development Goal (SDP) in relation to gender equality.

Navigating fragmented services: a gender-based violence (GBV) critical feminist analysis of women's experiences engaging with health and social supports in three Canadian cities.

Gender-based violence (GBV) remains a pervasive public health crisis with devastating impacts on women's health and well-being. Women experiencing GBV face considerable barriers accessing appropriate and timely health and social services. This study explored women's experiences with health and social services in three Canadian cities to understand critical challenges and strengths in service provision for women experiencing GBV. In-depth interviews were conducted with self-identifying women (n = 21) who had accessed health or social care services and with service providers (n = 25) in three Canadian cities between February 2021 and November 2022. Women's interviews focused on experiences engaging with services including what worked well, the challenges they faced, and their recommendations to enhance service delivery to women experiencing violence. Staff interviews focused on their experiences of providing services within their organization, and the strengths and challenges in providing services to women within their community. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis with a gender-based violence critical feminist lens. We organized the findings into three interrelated themes. First our results show how the systems within which health and social services are organized, are not designed to meet women's complex needs, with rigid structures, siloed services, and stigmatizing cultures creating significant barriers. Second, the data illustrate how service providers support and empower women through practices such as providing key information, assisting with administrative tasks, offering material resources, and addressing discrimination through advocacy and accompaniment. Third, our findings demonstrate how building an effective working relationship characterized by trust, non-judgment, and collaboration is crucial for service engagement and women's overall well-being. Findings illuminate critical public health challenges as women navigate fragmented services across multiple and siloed systems not designed to meet their complex needs. There is an urgent need for systemic change to create more integrated, responsive support systems for women experiencing GBV. This includes addressing underlying structures perpetuating gender inequities and violence. Facilitating safe access to holistic services that consider women's preferences is crucial. Effective working relationships built on trust, respect, and power-sharing are key to supporting women's agency and addressing their interconnected needs.

Introduction to ‘Gender, Sexuality, and State Violence: International Perspectives on Institutional and Intersectional Justice’

Introduction to ‘Gender, Sexuality, and State Violence: International Perspectives on Institutional and Intersectional Justice’

Building Teachers’ Confidence and Critical Thinking Through Scientific Evidence with Social Impact in Gender Violence Prevention

Scientific literature has provided evidence that teacher education based on scientific evidence is highly beneficial for professional development. However, the impact of receiving training grounded on co-created teaching materials—incorporating the expertise of teachers, trainers, and researchers—remains less explored. In this context, the TeachXevidence (2023–2025) project (ref.101096234) conducted nine teacher education seminars in Spain and Portugal, based on co-created scientific evidence with social impact. Following the Communicative Methodology, a total of 180 social impact questionnaires were collected to assess the perceived social impact of the teacher education seminars. The results of these questionnaires indicate that (a) the participant teachers feel more confident and better equipped with arguments to debunk existing hoaxes related to gender violence prevention and (b) they report having stronger arguments to critically evaluate and select the training programs school want to implement on gender violence prevention.

The Co-Creation and Implementation of a Protocol for the Prevention of Gender Violence in a Non-University Adult Educational Center

The Co-Creation and Implementation of a Protocol for the Prevention of Gender Violence in a Non-University Adult Educational Center

Book Review: Law, Culture, and the Figure of the Girl: Genre and Gender Violence Law, Culture, and the Figure of the Girl: Genre and Gender Violence By Van RijswijkHonni. London: Routledge, 2025. 155 pp. $144 (hardback). ISBN: 9780367193515

Book Review: Law, Culture, and the Figure of the Girl: Genre and Gender Violence Law, Culture, and the Figure of the Girl: Genre and Gender Violence By Van RijswijkHonni. London: Routledge, 2025. 155 pp. $144 (hardback). ISBN: 9780367193515

Haunting the In-between: Gender and Genre in Oscar Wilde’s “The Canterville Ghost”

This article explores the interplay between gender and genre in Oscar Wilde’s “The Canterville Ghost”. Applying frameworks from short story theory and criticism, it deepens and expands Maureen O’Connor’s claim that Wilde employs “dissident” narrative conventions to expose and subvert patriarchal discourse and Anne Markey’s conceptualization of this text as a polyphonic narrative space. To do so, the article begins by examining key plot moments to illustrate the “poetics of liminality” (Achilles and Bergmann 2015: 4) of this ghost story, which parodies and subverts various genre conventions to “amuse and disturb” its readers (Markey 2010: 136) before transforming into a horrifying exposé of the role of literary conventions in the normalization of gender violence (O’Connor 2004). It further explores the story’s reception in cinematic adaptations and academic criticism, revealing how comedic and sentimental genre conventions have often been heightened to obscure its darker, gendered themes. Finally, it focuses on the “condensation of multiple identities” (Achilles: 2015b) in the character of Virginia Otis, which complicates any straightforward reading of “The Canterville Ghost” as radical or reactive in terms of its gender politics. These discussions showcase Wilde’s mastery of the short story genre’s interrogative economy to challenge established literary conventions.

“The Last Rose of Summer:” A Century of Women’s Habeas Petitions & Gendered Violence

“The Last Rose of Summer:” A Century of Women’s Habeas Petitions & Gendered Violence

Attitudes Regarding Gender Roles and Recurrence of Dating Violence in Spanish and Mexican Adolescents

Gender-based violence is recognized as both a violation of human rights and a significant public health problem due to its widespread prevalence. Gender-based violence has also been shown to be associated with sexist beliefs. Furthermore, cultural background significantly influences how individuals develop attitudes toward gender roles. This study aims to examine the recurrence of dating violence among young couples in relation to their cultural context. The study involved 9759 participants (40.85% women and 59.15% men) with an age range between 13 and 26 years (M = 18.1, SD = 2.32) residing in either Spain (67.28%) or Mexico (32.72%). Participants completed two questionnaires: the Dating Violence Questionnaire (CUVINO) and the Role Attitudes Scale of Gender (GRAS). Gender-based violence was more recurrent in the Spanish context, especially among women. Spanish participants also held more stereotypical gender role attitudes than Mexican participants, with evidence linking these attitudes to higher rates of gender violence. It is confirmed that an issue as complex as gender violence in dating relationships is influenced by multiple determining factors, including cultural context.

Conceptualizing and Measuring Violence: A Feminist Critical Measurement Analysis of Gender-Based Violence Research in a Government Policy-Based Setting.

Feminist methodological advances in gender-based violence research have yet to be comprehensively integrated into policy-based research. This article discusses methodological concerns identified when reviewing the UK government's public consultation for its 2021 Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy. We apply intersectional feminist perspectives and critical measurement analysis, and discuss two areas of methodological concern: issues with conceptualizations of violence, and issues with the measurement of public experiences, attitudes, and opinions, and implications for the accuracy of the survey. In response, we consider feminist research practices that could address these issues and support feminist goals in policy-based gendered violence research.

Towards a transformative memory of wartime sexualized violence? The ‘violence and gender’ exhibition at Dresden’s military history museum of the army

ABSTRACT This article asks how museums can mobilize memories of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) for progressive social ends. My case study is the ‘Violence and Gender’ exhibition, which ran at the Military History Museum of the Army in Dresden, Germany, in 2018. First, I introduce the memorial context, demonstrating the persistence of ‘conservative’ tropes that use memories of women’s suffering to buttress patriarchal and national agendas. Subsequently, I investigate how ‘Violence and Gender’ dislodges these conservative frames, focusing on its inclusion of complex victims and the links drawn between historical conflict and broader cultures of violence. Such contextualization and heterogeneity are key to ‘transformative memory’. I develop this term with reference to a recent scholarship on transitional justice to highlight the need for memory initiatives that broaden societal understandings of the forms and roots of CRSV, contributing both to more inclusive justice and to efforts to combat gendered violence and discrimination in the present. In view of its scope, ‘Violence and Gender’ offers the chance to reflect on the potential and pitfalls of various strategies for challenging visitors to check their assumptions and recognize their implications in global networks of insecurity and violence.

Validation of a scale of attitudes towards gender violence in nursing students

Objective: Analyse the psychometric properties of a scale to evaluate attitudes towards gender violence in nursing students. Method: Cross-sectional observational study with 197 participants from various nursing schools and faculties. Supo’s taxonomy and Robles Garrote’s methodology, with the participation of nine experts, ensured content validity. Metric properties evaluated through pilot testing. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was used to determine reliability, validity, and internal consistency, along with tests such as Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) and Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity. Exploratory factor analysis of Principal Components and Rotation Method was performed: Oblimin with Kaiser Normalization. Results: The results revealed rigorous content validity, ensuring adequate representation to measure the construct. Internal consistency was demonstrated with a Cronbach’s alpha instrument reliability of 0.915. The KMO analysis and Bartlett’s test confirmed the suitability of the data for factorisation, identifying two factors associated with confrontation toward the aggressor and assistance toward the victim. These factors provided a solid conceptual structure for the scale. Conclusion: The tool was revealed to be effective in evaluating attitudes towards gender violence among university nursing students. Descriptors: validation studies; behaviour rating scale; attitude of health personnel; nursing students; gender-based violence.

Feminist Complaint Collectives and Doorway Disruptions in Australian Christian Traditions

Christian traditions maintain patriarchal cultures by upholding gendered norms that can shape ministry opportunities and sanction gender inequality and sexism, while also scaffolding gendered violence. Feminist Christian women who name this inequality, or who ‘protest’ and ‘complain’ can therefore be subject to a range of adverse consequences, from subtle social disapproval to malicious abuse and exclusion. Simultaneously, although Christian women led in 19<sup>th</sup> century feminist movements, contemporary religious and secular feminists can be mutually sceptical. As a result, Christian feminist women often occupy a marginal space. Sara Ahmed has consistently argued that when feminists speak of sexism within institutional settings, the response is often to problematise the complainer. Ahmed (2021) introduces the idea of forming complaint collectives to enable feminists to do counter-institutional work. In this paper we use Ahmed’s scholarship to locate Christian feminists as ‘complainants’ and assemble ourselves to create a Christian feminist complaint collective. We present case studies of complaints and doorway disruptions in Catholic, Anglican, and pentecostal settings to challenge gender inequality and marginalisation and reconceptualise how feminist theory can be (re)applied to feminist activism within Christian religious traditions and communities.

Torciendo Normas: Alicia Cruz, Arte y Activismo desde la Diversidad Sexo-Genérica

This case study explores the intersection of art, activism, and gender diversity through an in-depth interview with Alicia Cruz, a non-binary artivist who lives and works in Aguascalientes, Mexico. The study addresses key issues such as the tension between normative societal structures and non-binary identities, the role of art as a medium for activism, and the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ individuals in conservative contexts. Using a qualitative methodology based on ethnographic interviewing, this research captures the lived experiences of the interviewee. Cruz’s works—ranging from public performances to mobile archives—are presented as acts of defiance aimed at raising awareness about gender violence and state neglect. The results highlight the impact of performative activism, the complexities of navigating public spaces as a non-binary person, and the potential of art to subvert power structures. The interview also reveals a disconnect between state cultural policies and the lived realities of marginalized communities, emphasizing the need for decentralized, grassroots approaches to both art and activism. This study offers a critical reflection on how non-normative

Sexuality Construction, Pornography, and Gender Violence: A Qualitative Study with Spanish Adolescents

Abstract Sexuality is a central aspect of human beings, and adolescence is a crucial period of transition from childhood to adulthood where sexual awakening occurs. As a critical aspect of life, adolescents should have quality sexual education to guide them through this transition. However, currently, educational institutions often lack structured and standardized sexual education programs that go beyond medicalized models focused on sexual and reproductive health and contraceptive use. A qualitative design using in-depth interviews with an ethnographic perspective to obtain detailed information considering the context. The Venegas model on sexual-affective education was referenced. This model identifies four significant areas: gender, sexuality, love/affection, and body. A qualitative design based on in-depth interviews was chosen to obtain detailed information about the issues mentioned. Forty semi-structured interviews were conducted with adolescents aged 13 to 20 in two groups: students of compulsory secondary education and vocational training. Results showed boys tend to prioritize physical aspects of sexuality, such as masturbation and intercourse, whereas girls tend to focus more on emotional connections and concern about contraception. Pornography, patriarchal cultural patterns, sexism, and traditional gender roles shaped these initial experiences. Meanings and practices were revealed to be conditioned by a sexist model of attraction, body dissatisfaction, and learning through pornography, which was related to experiences of normalized control and sexual violence in relationships. Some positive advancements resulting from feminist achievements were also discovered, such as understanding the value of consent, empathy, and the appreciation of alternative models of masculinity by some girls. These results highlight the importance of developing sexual education programs from a psychosocial and feminist perspective. Such programs should aim to transform cultural norms and attitudes surrounding sexuality, promoting agency and healthier and more equitable relationships among adolescents.