Gender equality intervention with schoolteachers to prevent gender-based violence: case study in Tambogrande, Peru

Peru has one of the highest rates of gender-based violence in Latin America. Here we describe our intervention, titled 'Strengthening capacities of teachers for the prevention of gender-based violence in Tambogrande, Perú'. This intervention was developed with local partners and implemented in 2023 with preschool teachers in a Jesuit school on the northern coast of Peru. The programme aimed to strengthen the capacities of preschool teachers to promote gender equality in their classrooms. To evaluate the impacts of the programme, we administered pre- and post-intervention surveys (n = 31) and collected qualitative notes during the programming. Post-intervention surveys showed a significant increase in the teacher's ability to describe how gender differs from biological sex (p = 0.025) and in awareness of school policies to promote gender equality (p = 0.002). Teachers requested additional support to engage parents in ways that are culturally appropriate. Thus, we propose incorporating Catholic Social Teaching into future programming to correspond with the community and school's religious beliefs.