Benedikta Björg Sörensen Valtýsdóttir, a doctoral student at the University of Iceland’s School of Education, is conducting a study on how young people in Iceland experience and perceive gender-based violence and its prevention. Guided by Brynja Elísabeth Halldórsdóttir, the research was inspired by a 2020 parliamentary resolution aimed at protecting children and youth from sexual and gender-based violence and harassment.

Benedikta’s work centers on understanding how gender-based violence manifests in youth culture, using the concept of the continuum of gender-based violence, first introduced by British sociologist Liz Kelly in 1988. The theory challenges clear-cut definitions, showing how behavior can range from seemingly benign comments to outright violence. According to Benedikta, it's often difficult to draw definitive lines between violence, harassment, and hate speech they frequently overlap and shift depending on context and perception.

Some behaviors are clearly recognized as gender-based violence, like rape or sexual assault, she explains. But others, such as pressuring someone into sex, are more recent additions to this definition. Liz Kelly’s perspective  that all gender-based violence is serious, with the exception of violence leading to death  resonates with Benedikta, who highlights the subjective nature of how severity is experienced.

The study includes two parts: a completed analysis of Icelandic educational materials on gender-based violence, and ongoing interviews with groups of teenagers. The group interview format allows for more open, natural conversations, focusing on young people’s perspectives rather than personal trauma. Benedikta is exploring how gendered discourse and social interactions contribute to different forms of violence, especially those that may go unnoticed or unchallenged in daily life.

In reviewing educational content  sourced mainly from the website stoppofbeldi.is  Benedikta found a broad spectrum of material. Her selection criteria required the resources to be in Icelandic, focused on gender-based violence, and designed to educate or inform. She aims to map this content against youth experiences to identify gaps  where young people’s real-world encounters are not being addressed by existing educational tools.

Preliminary insights from the interviews suggest that the continuum of violence is clearly present in youth culture. Benedikta notes that language and behavior are deeply connected  what is seen as acceptable or harmful often shifts depending on context. For example, rough or boundary-pushing jokes among boys might not be viewed as violent, but the same behavior directed at girls is quickly recognized as inappropriate or abusive. These nuances illustrate how gender-based violence can be normalized in certain contexts.

Her research also highlights the distinct challenges faced by queer youth, who often feel they lack safe spaces and face frequent harassment. Social media, mentioned in every interview, emerged as a particularly toxic environment  more intense and unregulated than offline spaces.

Ultimately, Benedikta hopes her research will offer valuable insights into how young people understand and navigate gender-based violence, particularly online, and help improve educational strategies to address the realities of their lives. By identifying what young people actually experience versus what is being taught, we can begin to fill the gaps in prevention education, she says.

Source: https://english.hi.is/news/hoping-fill-gaps-education-gender-based-violence