Numerous studies have demonstrated that sexual harassment of women is a pervasive issue in male-dominated fields. This is a particular concern in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) educational and professional climates. Because victims of sexual harassment can experience negative effects after the incidents, many women end up leaving the field. For my thesis project, I set out to create a curriculum that would teach engineering students about sexual harassment, gender bias, and their effects. In order to do this, engineering students (N = 10) participated in focus groups and individual interviews, where they were asked about their perceptions and responses to potential sexual harassment situations. Results of the focus groups revealed that the main topics that need to be addressed among engineering students are inclusion of all people, especially women; the definition and examples of sexual harassment; how to pick up on social cues; and bystander intervention techniques. A curriculum was then created that centered around those topics in a way that does not aim to make students uncomfortable, but instead aims to make them more conscious of their words and actions, as well as more empathetic to others’ viewpoints and experiences. The presentation ends with five scenarios based on the situations students brought up in the focus groups, in order for the students to practice what they’ve learned in a controlled setting before going out into the real world. I hope that by integrating this curriculum into first-year engineering classes, students will have more confidence to intervene if they see or hear something that could classify as sexual harassment. Ultimately, reductions in sexual harassment in educational settings can facilitate the academic and professional success of all students.

Sexual violence is a problem that is present in communities worldwide for individuals of every gender identity and religious communities are certainly not immune, including Muslim communities. This project will explore how sexual violence manifests in Muslim communities while also discussing how sexual violence is rooted in cultural patriarchy rather than the religion of Islam itself. Islam is a religion of radical gender equality. The religious discrimination against women that has been witnessed throughout the past fourteen centuries is actually the remnant of unequal gender dynamics found in pre-Islamic patriarchal culture. Sexual violence is explicitly prohibited in Islam, as evidenced by the Qur’an and ahadith (records of the Prophet Muhammad’s life) and has no place in the global Muslim community, referred to as the Ummah.

This paper also delves into feminism in Islam and argues that Muslim women should not be forced to choose between their faith and their human rights; rather, women should be able to obtain an education and should play an essential role in the interpretation of religious texts.

The purpose of this thesis project is twofold: to examine the intersection of Islam, women, and sexual violence prevention as well as to develop and apply a sexual violence prevention curriculum that can be implemented within Muslim communities. The textual analysis of this project will include discussions regarding the primary source of the Qur’an as well as the secondary sources of ahadith and existing literature written by Muslim scholars, primarily female Muslim scholars. This will allow for an analysis of how women are portrayed in Islam as well as how Islamic texts and traditions challenge the patriarchy and rape culture in which sexual violence manifests. Using this foundational knowledge, the goals of the sexual violence prevention curriculum will be to facilitate a discussion between Muslims regarding what sexual violence looks like and what rape culture is, create support networks for survivors, discuss what to do if a friend discloses that they are a survivor or victim of sexual violence, reduce roadblocks to reporting, and analyze literature on feminism in Islam in order to support a movement for sexual violence prevention.

Violence against women is perhaps the most shameful human- rights violation. And it is perhaps the most pervasive. It knows no boundaries of geography, culture or wealth.
~ Kofi Annan, Seventh United Nations Secretary-General

The Ghanaian culture is deeply entrenched with patriarchal beliefs and ideologies. Male supremacy is widespread throughout all spheres of life. Patriarchy ideologies in Ghana ascribe the qualities of a good wife and constrain the possibilities for girls and women. Furthermore, the doctrines of patriarchy in Ghana contribute to the state of violence. There are various forms of violence faced by Ghanaian women such as domestic violence, social violence, psychological violence, physical violence, economic violence, and sexual abuse. Women are not empowered to be independent with the capacity to defend their human rights. Men occupy most of the leadership positions hence making the critical decisions further propagating patriarchy.
Additionally, the attitudes by women accepting the patriarchal culture as the norm justify men to continue the bad habits that discriminate against women. The prevalence of violence is high with one in every three women experiencing some form of violence in Ghana. The Ghanaian Government has made significant strides in fighting violence by enacting the domestic violence act of 2007. The bill has created a platform through which victims of abuse can access justice. This paper will argue that violence against women and girls in Ghana is deeply ingrained in the culture that it has become normalized and for changes to be made, Ghana needs to look at a radical shift in attitudes towards men and women in terms of dismantling the patriarchal ideologies.

Keywords: Ghanaian Government, Ghana, violence, patriarchal ideology.

This toolkit and paper were created as a thesis project for Barrett, the Honors College at Arizona State University (ASU). When creating this Toolkit, extensive research on existing relationship violence education programs was conducted. Existing data was also analyzed to assess the prevalence and demography of relationship violence. In conclusion, Relationship Violence Intervention toolkit was created to educate students on how to identify unhealthy behaviors in any relationship.

Relationship Violence Intervention was funded primarily through Barrett, the Honors College, as a thesis and creative project. In addition, the project was awarded a grant through the Sexual Violence Prevention program at Arizona State University.

The authors of this thesis project are qualified to address these topics because of their extensive involvement in relationship and sexual violence. Both authors worked to implement a student organization, Team One Love at ASU, into the ASU community. Through this student organization, the authors were able to spend three years educating Arizona State University students about “red flags” in relationship behaviors through a guided-facilitation format. In addition, the authors collaborated with the Sexual Violence Prevention Education program at Arizona State University to put on large scale events for Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Sexual violence is a serious epidemic plaguing college campuses in the United States. At Arizona State University, students are expected to care for themselves, each other, and their community. To help foster this community of care, ASU provides various resources and educational programs to teach students, staff, and faculty about sexual violence and their role in its prevention. Students, staff, and faculty have the ability to manipulate their environment to discourage sexual violence and encourage a culture in which sexual violence is not tolerated. As a student programming coordinator for Arizona State's Sexual Violence Prevention and Education Program (SVPEP), I have worked in collaboration with SVPEP Staff, the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life and the Panhellenic Council to develop the Sexual Violence Prevention and Leadership Development Program for Sorority Women (SSVLP). The SSVLP is a six week, comprehensive sexual violence prevention program that provides emerging leaders in the sorority community with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to facilitate change in the culture of violence by taking action in their own community. The following project is consists of an overview of the program, evidence that the program helps to change behaviors and attitudes, and a participant weekly workbook that program participants are required to bring with them to their session each week.

This exploratory study focuses on answering the following research questions: How can college communities catalyze interventions in potential situations of sexual violence? What do bystander intervention behaviors and programs look like across diverse college communities? Data was collected through key informant interviews with professionals in the field of sexual violence prevention, preferably holding positions in universities of participating countries and through student focus groups. The following countries participated in this study: Ireland, Spain, Tanzania, Australia and New Zealand. The study requests for increased international collaboration between partners across the globe in order to improve bystander intervention programs within universities. In addition, the study provides guidance for future research surrounding bystander intervention.