Human Rights Discourses in the Production of Politics around Comprehensive Sexuality Education in Portugal

Supervisor/s: Michelle Cottier and Ana Cristina Santos

Doctoral Programme: Human Rights in Contemporary Societies

Funding: FCT

This research aims to map and understand Human Rights discourses within the realm of Sexuality Education in Portugal between 2021 and 2025, considering the impact of recent educational policies on the field and of emerging anti-gender movements. The hypothesis is that there are at least four competing discourse types: intolerance, tolerance, recognition, and reparation. This research aims to assess the knowledge on sexuality and gender that may or may not be equally distributed or listened to among subjects, depending on their gender, sexuality, racialization, and class. Furthermore, this project is qualitative and will gather data from multiple sources, namely: public policies and legal documents; media; interviews with actors who produce politics; educational sessions and focus groups with students. The data gathered will be analyzed through critical discourse analysis. The outcomes of the research may add to political and educational measures to prevent gender and sexual-based violence.