Lecture: “Prevention of violence in relationships”
Last October 15, on the 9th anniversary of CIDICS and the 25th National Week of Science and Technology, the cycle of seminars and conferences began, were high school students attended a lecture to know what researchers in laboratories on the Nutrition, Experimental Therapeutics and Bioimaging Units do.
The first lecture titled “Prevention of violence in relationships” was held by PhD Marcela Granados Shiroma, Technical Coordinator and Researcher of the Public Health Unit. She emphasized the importance on the subject today, as violence is regarded as a public health problem.
The purpose of the lecture was to give students from the CONALEP (National School of Professional – Technical Education) San Bernabé, analytical tools on violence and relationships subject, providing necessary information to prevent this problem and be aware of the signs that can manifest before severe consequences arise, product of violence between couples.
A relationship is the bond that two people establish when attracted mutually. It is based in attraction and love, and it is an opportunity to know each other, an experimental phase with same thoughts, mutual likes and experiencing emotions. Its stages are: falling in love, knowing each other, coupling, stability, reaffirmation, and mature love, committed.
To identify a healthy relationship there must be communication, respect, trust, and acceptance between the two individuals. The most important reason why a relationship experience violence starts from childhood, where we were raised and educated on how to behave as a man or a woman. This is called “Gender Construction”. We learn this construction through what we hear, see; through what we are told and what out relatives and friends teach us; what we learn from society through media, laws, religion, the community, and even from the songs we hear.
Violence is known by controlling and dominating. Violence is all abuse of power, whether it is physical, psychological, emotional, or sexual. It is all act that by action can cause damage. Violence in relationships is any action where a person tries to subdue or paralyze their partner. The intention is to dominate and submit through power and physical, emotional, or sexual damage. Many strategies can be used, like self-esteem attacks, insults, emotional blackmail, subtle manipulation, or punches.
It was explained to the students that there can be different signals to detect violence, like insulting nicknames, lies, and cheating, or when one of the individuals tries to control the life of the other; with the purpose of identifying a relationship with violence, or if someone close is experiencing violence.
To end the lecture, it was mentioned how to prevent violence in a relationship. We must learn to say “no”. Being dominated or saying “yes” to everything is not an expression of love. Granados Shiroma emphasized: “Respecting yourself and your convictions is the first step to build a healthy, respectful and mature relationship. Stopping violence in relationships depends of each and every single one of us”.