This seminar discusses the complexity of sexual violence, exploring the areas of media, legislation, public policy, and academia. These domains play fundamental roles in shaping public awareness of the topic, in the social responses that exist, and in the search for justice. The seminar aims to encourage a comprehensive discussion on these four areas, based on the research carried out in the UnCoveR project. It features interventions by project researchers and consultants on the national and international legal and political contexts that govern the fight against sexual violence, public policies, and non-governmental initiatives that mark the Portuguese context and the contribution of Portuguese academia to the knowledge in this area. The seminar thus offers a mapping of ongoing debates in various areas of research, which will enrich the discussion carried out in the project on how the media influence public perceptions and attitudes towards sexual violence, as well as the ethical responsibilities of the media when reporting such incidents. 

UnCoveR is the first comprehensive transdisciplinary study on sexual violence in Portuguese media landscapes. It studies how the media reported, discussed, and imagined sexual violence between 2011 and 2022 and how audiences interacted with these media narratives.

Activity organized by the UnCoveR project – Sexual violence in portuguese mediascape (2022.03964.PTDC) in collaboration with the Observatório Masculinities.pt and the GPS-CES working group.