Serenas is a nonprofit organization in Brazil working to strengthen policies that promote healthy relationships and prevent gender-based violence (GBV) against girls and women. The organization designs and delivers training for policymakers, school leaders, and educators on consent, healthy relationships, rights, and gender equity. It also equips frontline professionals with trauma-informed, culturally sensitive, and non-revictimizing approaches. Sernas produces and disseminates evidence on gender-based violence prevention in education to influence civil society organizations, governments, and philanthropy.
In 2023, more than 1.2 million women in Brazil were victims of gender-related crimes. Serenas’ 2025 national study reveals significant gaps within Brazil’s education system, showing that many educators do not feel prepared to intervene or to refer to cases of gender-based violence appropriately. Girls’ voices are largely absent from the design of policies and institutional responses meant to protect them. As a result, many girls navigate harassment, coercion, and abuse in silence, without clear institutional accountability or support.
With support from the Girls Opportunity Alliance Fund, Serenas will develop a guidebook to provide guidance for schools to promote gender equity and prevent gender-based violence. The research will consolidate best practices in GBV prevention and highlight practical strategies from schools already advancing gender equity and violence prevention. It will also involve participatory listening circles to center the voices of adolescents and teachers. The guidebook will be freely available nationwide and integrated into Serenas’ educational programming and partnerships with public education systems, providing practical, accessible guidance for educators, school leaders, students, and civil society organizations across Brazil.
The project will directly engage 60 adolescent girls and 60 boys, along with 30 teachers. Indirectly, the guidebook is expected to inform policies and practices that can impact thousands of students through municipal, state, and federal education systems. Ultimately, Serenas aims to strengthen the capacity of public schools across Brazil to foster healthy relationships, challenge harmful gender norms, and institutionalize prevention practices. The project will contribute to sustainable, system-level improvements in how schools promote gender equity and protect adolescents from violence.
To learn more about Serenas, please visit the organization’s website and social media pages:
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