Is there a neoconservative project behind personal beliefs? Perceptions of social gender relations

Abstract

After a few decades of progress in guaranteeing human rights — and in understanding gender-based violence as a form of structural violence used as a tool of control to perpetuate socio-historical inequalities — a neoconservative project is now gaining momentum in the opposite direction. This project manifests through anti-gender and anti-rights rhetoric that is often subtle, or even imperceptible. This article presents findings from a study conducted with staff at a child and adolescent protection agency in Bogotá, Colombia, examining their perceptions of gender-based social relations. Some of the results reveal traces of neoconservatism that must be challenged to ensure interventions uphold rights without perpetuating institutional violence—aiming, in other words, for non-violent social intervention.