Gender violence : a conflictive issue, in higher education programs in Colombia, that must be transformed

Abstract

This article delves into an analysis of the manifest gender violence in the Colombian higher education institutions. It proposes an approach to the gender violence concept and the various types, such as: structural violence, symbolic and interpersonal violence, just to typify its diverse manifestations within the higher education endeavor. The qualitative approach best describes, in the interviewees’ own voices, the possible causes of gender violence in those institutions. All conclusions highlight the need to draw up participative gender institutional policies; such actions may conduct to elicit new perspectives in regards with women’s inclusion, protection, respect for their rights and freedom.