SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE 7 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The General Directorate of Youth of the Canary Islands Government has launched the campaign ‘Mental Health is Equality: Break Gender Stereotypes’, aimed at increasing awareness and aiding young individuals in recognising how sexist roles impact their well-being.
This initiative, developed by the Atelsam Mental Health association, coincides with the upcoming ‘International Mental Health Day’ on Thursday and has been funded by the State Pact against Gender Violence.
Featuring four audiovisual pieces, the campaign will be promoted through the social media platforms of Juventud Canaria and Salud Mental Atelsam.
The General Director of Youth, Daniel Morales, noted that “the campaign seeks to highlight concerning issues such as toxic relationships based on control within couples, harassment, societal pressure on both women and men stemming from sexist patterns, and the pervasive consumption of pornography which underpin dominating sexual practices”.
He emphasised that two principal lines of action for the General Directorate are equality and health, with a particular focus on mental and emotional health, reaffirming that the Administration will support initiatives in this realm.
Morales also mentioned that this campaign is part of a broader series of activities planned for the entire year by the General Directorate of Youth.
He stated that while “young people understand the concept of equality, the challenge lies in implementing it in their daily lives and confronting the pressures and sexist behaviours that continue to reinforce male dominance.”
In this context, he recalled a recent study by the Canary Islands Institute of Equality which revealed that 70% of young women had encountered or were aware of instances of gender violence.
Among them, 20% reported having experienced it, and around 40% expressed that they considered it quite or very likely they would face violence in the future, according to a Government report.
Additionally, he highlighted that 40% of boys acknowledged that pornography serves as their primary source of information regarding sexuality.
Consequently, he stressed the importance of educating young people that pornography conceals one of the most severe violations of women’s human rights.
Furthermore, he reminded that the Canary Islands possess a network of resources dedicated to addressing all forms of sexist violence, funded through an ICI agreement with all councils, which provides information, prevention, and protection services for victims across all islands.
AGAINST VIOLENCE AND FOR EQUALITY
Pilar Álamo Vázquez, the coordinator of the Atelsam Mental Health Equality Programme, underscored the significance of such actions, considering that data indicates gender roles and stereotypes persistently influence the life trajectories of youth and their overall well-being.
She pointed out that youth “is a crucial phase for identifying and fostering mental health,” and added that if the emerging problems and discomforts are not tackled from a gender perspective, they may lead to more severe challenges in the future.
She emphasised the necessity of recognising that beyond individual and biological variables, people’s mental health is significantly influenced by social, structural, and contextual factors that must be understood and addressed.
Additionally, she stated that the utilisation of social media for disseminating the campaign will enable outreach to youth demographics regarding issues related to gender roles and sexist violence.
