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VIDEO. “Boys are becoming aware that gender equality is in everyone’s interest”: at school in Ireland, empathy lessons to raise awareness among the youngest
“Boys are becoming aware that gender equality is in everyone’s interest”: at school in Ireland, empathy lessons to raise awareness among the youngest – (WE, THE EUROPEANS / FRANCE 2)
On the occasion of the International Day Against Violence Against Women, November 25, the “We, the Europeans” teams were interested in a system put in place by the Irish government: empathy courses in primary schools and colleges.
Since 1999, November 25 has been chosen by the United Nations as the International Day to Combat Violence Against Women. A date which was not designated by chance: it is a tribute to the Mirabal sisters, committed against the dictatorship in the Dominican Republic and assassinated on November 25, 1960.
But oWhere are we today in the fight against violence against women? What measures are being put in place around the world to stem this scourge? In Ireland, the problem is addressed from a very young age. The teams of “We, the Europeans” (X) attended an empathy course in a school in the suburbs of Dublin, which is part of the “Let’s Educate Together” network bringing together around a hundred primary and middle schools in the country.
“I felt a little guilty”
On today’s agenda, gender equality with Deputy Principal Andrew Maloney. In the form of a game called “dog or chicken”, children are confronted with various inequalities. While those who drew a picture of a dog relax and eat candy, those who drew a picture of a chicken clean up.
Quickly, some complain, others feel guilty. “Hey, they can use their phone“, protested a little girl. During a debate following the game, neither the chickens nor the dogs seemed to have enjoyed the experience.”It is unfair“, exclaims one of them. “It’s annoying“, adds his comrade. “I felt a little guilty when I was in the circle and some of my friends were cleaning“, confides another student.
Andrew Maloney, who orchestrated this great “gender metaphor”, speaks about gender equality: “In my experience, I have found that boys and girls become more confident when they talk about it, and especially girls can speak up and say there is a problem. Boys also realize that gender equality is in everyone’s interest because they can be penalized as much as girls“, he concludes.
Excerpt from “Ireland: women’s rights, the march forward”, to be seen in “We, the Europeans” on November 23, 2023.
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