Higher Education Policy Statement on Building a Gender Inclusive, Gender Responsive, and Gender Safe Community
Filipino, Catholic, and Jesuit, the Ateneo de Manila University Higher Education cluster is an academic community that upholds the dignity of every human person. In consonance with the teachings in the Gospels and the Ignatian principles of conscience, competence, compassion, and commitment, it strives to cultivate a strong culture of respect for human rights. It endeavors to promote justice that is rooted in genuine empathy and understanding of the struggle and suffering of others. Within the broader vision of a just, humane, and equal world, it rejects and confronts all forms of sexual and gender-based violence and discrimination. True to its belief in a faith that does justice for all, it seeks ways of establishing structures that support gender inclusivity, promote gender responsiveness, embrace the call for gender justice, and build a gender safe community.
An inclusive community respects human dignity, one’s right to self-identity and self-expression, and diversity.
A gender-responsive community promotes gender equality, gender sensitivity, and gender-fair education. Gender equality is the recognition that all human beings, regardless of their sex, gender, and sexuality, are equal in dignity and in rights. Gender sensitivity refers to the practice of respect, empathy, and compassion embedded in the awareness of conditions that perpetuate gender inequality and gender injustice and the engagement in practices that seek to transform these conditions. Gender fair education refers to teaching and learning practices that promote gender equality and justice, including the use of non-sexist language and the avoidance of gender stereotypes and gender biases.
A safe community is free of sexual or gender-based violence, discrimination, and harassment. It recognizes the inherent dignity of every person; any form of violation of the body is a violation of a person’s dignity and integrity.
The Ateneo de Manila University Higher Education cluster is dedicated to the building of a gender inclusive, gender responsive, and gender safe community for all by creating an enabling environment, developing transformative practices, and providing adequate responses.
An enabling environment institutionalizes policies, standards, and procedures which facilitate the promotion of a gender inclusive, gender responsive, and gender safe Higher Education community.
Transformative practices address existing biased or discriminatory policies, practices and programs, and effect change for the betterment of life for all.
