For the second year in a row, the Centre for Psychology at the University of Porto (CPUP) organised a Spring School in articulation with the Sexuality and Gender Research Group, which brought together around 50 researchers, students and other professionals for several conferences, round tables and workshops focused on the themes of Sexuality and Gender.
According to event manager Ana Quinta Gomes PhD, the programme intended to mirror the research lead by the Sexuality and Gender Research Group, which is in line with the research conducted internationally to respond to the global challenges in these themes. The Spring School also brought new insights on ongoing innovative projects: “The World Sexual Health Observatory is one of them. It aims to promote the development of knowledge in sexual health and sexual rights at a global level, involving different organisations and stakeholders such as the World Health Organization, UNESCO, among others”.
Sexual abuse: prevention and monitoring
The sexual abuse of minors was at the center of two conferences: “We had the participation of an international expert who is implementing, in collaboration with our research group, an on-line programme aimed at individuals with a sexual interest in children”.
Furthermore, there was a lecture by Grupo Vita, which is coordinating the process of intervention and prevention of cases of sexual violence against children and vulnerable adults within Portugal’s Catholic Church.
Transversality and partnership
The event exceeded expectations: “We welcomed participants from several parts of Portugal and also went beyond borders (USA, Brazil and other European countries). This proves how transversal these themes are. This was also an opportunity to create new working networks and new partnerships for future projects, for the participating people, for the Sexuality and Gender Research Group and our Research Center”.
