CEG-INTEC inaugurates a Diploma in Gender and Health within the framework of Human Rights
Aimed at actors in the National Health System, this training seeks to contribute to strengthening their conceptual, methodological and analytical capacities on gender perspective and mainstreaming the gender approach in their work.
SANTO DOMINGO. - El Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (INTEC), through its Center for Gender Studies (CEG-INTEC), attached to the Area of Social Sciences and Humanities, launched the Diploma in Gender and Health, an academic proposal that seeks to strengthen the technical and analytical capacities of health and social science professionals in addressing gender inequalities that affect people's well-being and lives.
The opening ceremony brought together Ministry of Public Health staff and members of the Office of Gender Equity and Development from various provinces across the country, including San Cristóbal, Monseñor Nouel, and Santo Domingo. They are seeking critical and comprehensive training on gender issues, sexual and reproductive rights, public policies, and health with a human rights perspective.
The event, officiated by master of ceremonies Jesús Arvis, a Social Communication and Digital Media student at INTEC, began with welcoming remarks by Desiree Del Rosario Sosa, coordinator of CEG-INTEC, who highlighted the institutional commitment to promoting a culture of equity, as well as the role of the diploma program in training agents of change in the health system and the country's social fabric.
“Gender mainstreaming involves trained personnel, established policies, and priority in the sector where we work. All of this is very important. But keep in mind that without trained actors, we can't do anything; we're not as successful as we are if we don't have a group of people working to make this possible. That's the effort of training. That's the gender and health effort we're launching today,” said Desiree del Rosario Sosa.
Del Rosario considered that gender equality training must go beyond administrative staff, involving all stakeholders in the health sector. "Only through a comprehensive and sustained commitment can we ensure that gender mainstreaming is effective at every level and in every area of work," she added.
The diploma program seeks to promote the mainstreaming of gender perspectives in the work of health sector professionals. This means integrating a gender perspective into all stages of planning, implementation, and evaluation of policies, programs, and projects, with the goal of promoting equality between men and women.
The diploma program has a faculty with extensive experience in gender, health, and human rights issues. Module I addresses the introduction to Gender analysis and is in charge of Indiana Barinas, Head of the Department of Gender Equality of the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance, together with María Pola, lawyer, nurse, teacher and social activist.
El Module II will be provided by Julissa Hernandez, a prosecutor and expert on violence against women, human rights, and sexual and reproductive rights, who will speak about the approach to human rights and health within the national and international regulatory framework for gender equality in health.
On Module III the will be explained public health policies, and will be in charge of Alba Polanco, a specialist in mainstreaming gender, care, and disability approaches, will guide the learning process.
Finally, the Module IV entitled “Mainstreaming gender in the National Health System” will be taught by Lourdes Contreras, a Dominican feminist and former coordinator of CEG-INTEC, with a career spanning more than two decades promoting women's rights and lives in both academic and social settings.
The Diploma in Gender and Health is part of the CEG-INTEC training program and represents a space for reflection, critical analysis, and transformative action to advance toward a more just and inclusive society.