The CONTEXT Programme is a psychosocial intervention programme of the Universitat de València that prevents gender violence through work with men with the support and collaboration of the PSIMA Association and the Vice-Presidency and Regional Ministry for Equality and Inclusive Policies.  Within the various measures developed under these agreements, CONTEXTO launches a campaign aimed at men to promote the establishment of love relationships free of violence.  This is a pioneering campaign to question and call to action men who exercise violence in their relationships and offer them a way out of these behaviors.

The presentation of the campaign was held in La Nau and included the interventions of Marisol Lila Murillo, professor of Social Psychology at the Universitat de València and director of the Context Programme; Elena Terreros García, president of the PSIMA Association and specialist in intervention with men who exercise violence and the illustrators Luis Demano and Diego Mir.

In its 13 years of experience, the CONTEXT Programme has attended to more than 900 men with the aim of increasing the safety of female victims by preventing new episodes of violence, preventing violent behaviour on future women, avoiding the victimisation of minors and preventing the intergenerational transmission of abusive behaviour.  The program is based on the idea that violence against women is an eminently social problem that is maintained, to a large extent, by the tolerance of the environment of the people involved, so it is necessary a campaign like the one exposed.

The campaign #IChooseToLove aims to raise awareness among men who present violent behaviours of the importance of initiating a process of change, making visible the spaces where they can get help and learn to interact with their partner in a respectful and positive way. The Context program, through its team of professionals, provides this help free of charge, backed by scientifically validated intervention strategies and with a success rate of over 80%.

It also aims to raise public awareness to take an active position on gender-based violence, offering them a resource when questioning aggressors for change. Similarly, the program offers professionals who in their daily work detect situations of violence, a space to derive those responsible for such violence.  

The image of the campaign, designed by Luis Demano and Diego Mir, aims to incite these men to change, through an exercise of graphic synthesis and visual force in which they urge the perpetrators and society in general to position themselves against gender violence. The graphic aims to motivate to take the first step towards transformation, a path that begins with a decision making and continues with a process of unlearning behaviors and clichés assimilated about relationships.

The act of presentation to the public will take place on April 9, at 06:00 p.m. in the Sapiencia Chapel at the Cultural Centre La Nau.