Ana chose to live without violence
Adolescent activism represents an essential axis of the Mídete campaign (Measure Yourself Campaign), ranging from the call to change beliefs and practices normalising manifestations of violence to the replication of knowledge, tools and solutions to them
- Español
- English
Ana Beatriz is a giggly, talkative, restless teenager –like most girls her age. However, suffice it to mention certain subjects to her or to invite her to certain activities to discover a person who is immense in her maturity and social responsibility.
Since she was a child, she connected with women’s rights activism and the LGBTIQ+ community through workshops at the National Centre for Sex Education (Cenesex) and discovered a world she wanted to belong to and help build: a world without violence.
Cenesex is a partner institution of UNICEF Cuba through the work of the programme component Every Child is Protected from Violence and Exploitation. In alliance with our Mídete campaign, CENESEX has conducted various workshops with adolescents and their families on topics such as respectful parenting and responsible parenting, prevention of gender-based violence, child sexual abuse and teenage pregnancy, as well as parental responsibility in the use of social networks.
Ana is one of the teenagers more closely related to the Mídete campaign. From her roles as an activist, content creator and spokesperson, she has experienced an evolution in her growth as a human being. “I notice further awareness and knowledge about these issues, as well as more willingness to confront them,” she says.
Among the situations of violence that she recognises the most on a daily basis, she highlights bullying, mistreatment of children and adolescents from upbringing and gender-based violence, the latter as a cross-cutting issue in all of them.
“Physical fights to resolve conflicts are common. Also, bullying at school and domestic violence in which adolescents are often either the victims or the perpetrators. There are many expressions of cyberbullying and violence in couple relationships,” she warns.
In addition to the change Ana refers to from her more private context, she highlights the tools offered by Mídete to avoid the use and reproduction of sexist patterns in the processes of socialisation in childhood and adolescence.
“Mídete has provided me with the knowledge I need to identify different forms of violence, starting with myself, how I relate to other people and how I speak or act. It has also given me effective tips in case of being a victim of violence. It also facilitates the necessary routes or contacts when we witness such behaviours,” explained the student.
Her proximity to Mídete and her increasingly interest in learning more about these issues have awakened professional motivations in Ana. She is currently doing research on bullying and its various manifestations at different levels of education.
“Alongside my journalistic curiosity about violence, I keep track of any manifestations of violence occurring in front of me. If possible, I talk to those involved. I pass on what I have learned during the campaign and try to provide support for anyone who recognises themselves as a victim of violence,” she confirms.
Mídete's training, educational and communication resources aim to generate social or behavioural changes in the people impacted, modifying or deconstructing indifference, acceptance or naturalisation of violent practices in the upbringing of children and adolescents. Ana’s story is an example of this theory of change and that new generations can build a world like the one she dreams of: a freer and happier world.
