Open Studio 1: Post-pandemic Innovations to Counter Gender-based Violence

Open studio #1, Cycle #2

The first Open Studio of the second cycle was held on 17 and 18 March 2022, and was titled ‘Better is Possible: Post-pandemic innovations to counter gender-based violence’. It brought together participants from the RESISTIRÉ consortium itself as well as experts, stakeholders, and creative people from outside of the project.

When the lockdown restrictions were enacted during the pandemic, it became clear very early on that there was an increase in gender-based violence. This ‘shadow pandemic’ demonstrated that home is not a safe space for everyone. Domestic violence increased with the restriction of movement, and the corresponding increases in unemployment and economic hardship exacerbated the situation.

The main questions that this OS raised were:

• How to increase and improve prevention mechanisms to reduce gender-based violence (GBV), and how public spaces can be designed in a safer way, thereby minimizing the likelihood of violence and harassment?
• How to improve institutional responsiveness to GBV, as well as improving current partnerships between institutions and civil society to be able to adequately prevent, protect, support and prosecute?
• What can be done with perpetrators to change their behaviour, and what can men do in general to protect, support and show solidarity?
• How to provide these solutions tailored to the needs of particularly vulnerable groups such as migrants and immigrant communities, undocumented people, LGBTQI+ people, elderly and disabled people, homeless people and traveller communities?