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Introduction

KOINONIA is a non-denominational organization comprised of people from different sociocultural, political and religious backgrounds, gathered in a civil association. Its mission is to promote the non-denominational movement and its libertarian values on national and international levels, and provide services to groups made vulnerable and in process of social and political emancipation. For this purpose, it moves the solidarity from the ecumenical community, develops popular education, production of knowledge and information actions, in the construction of democratic spaces that promote justice and equality, within the structure of Human, Civil, Political, Economic, Social, Cultural and Environmental Rights (DHESC-A).

The values that guide KOINONIA are: ecumenism, ethics of solidarity, human rights particularly highlighted in economic, social, cultural and environmental rights, gender, race and ethnicity equality, and transformative development.

Poverty, domestic violence, systemic violence by oppressive patriarchal structures and phobia against homosexuals and transsexuals still exist. These realities cause several inequalities that are established in interpersonal relations. Inequalities in relations between genders, men and women, among the T population (transsexual women, transvestites and trans men, +)  and among people from different sexual orientations are massive. Overcoming this scenario of inequalities is striving for gender equity. KOINONIA’s ethos and mission lead the organization to make a commitment with gender identities and gender equity, and to develop a policy that guarantees its progress in the life of the institution.

Guiding principles

  • The Policy on Gender Justice (PJG) represents the present understanding by the institution concerning the promotion of gender equity and, therefore, it is a dynamic instrument of commitment, subject to changes that are deemed necessary to best respond to this commitment;
  • This PJG uses the follow understanding on gender: It is an individual gender self-assignment, of social and political nature, also with consequences concerning the social name and civil registration. Among the self-assignments, any aspect of sexual orientation is not qualified, because it is individual and private in nature;
  • Equal participation of all individuals, regardless of gender identity, in spaces where decisions are made and institutional cultures and policies are defined is an essential goal for the commitment to gender equity.
  • PJG is a group of references and criteria, with a certain date, that guide institutional practices, both internal and with publics that benefit from the promotion of gender equity.
  • PJG provides direction concerning the management actions, personal actions and program actions in the sense of integrating the vision and gender analysis, which comprises the relations between men and women, between people of different gender identities and sexual orientations, and among the T population to the global policies and practices from KOINONIA;
  • PJG adds value to the quality of work, analysis and production of knowledge from KOINONIA, also benefiting the area of ecumenical relations and relations with social movement partners, where the institution is a political agent for mobilization and dissemination of values;

PMA Strategies

  • Monitoring and Assessment will be conducted in monthly meetings from the Institutional Articulation Center (NAI), as well as every decision about the process and its monitoring;
  • An Internal Gender Commission will be called whenever necessary. Its membership will be defined by NAI.
  • The definition of needs for qualification and sensitization concerning gender in the implementation of actions and analyses will be conducted by the staff themselves, determining the recommendation or not to courses, whether financed by the institution or not, according to the budget availabilities and performance improvements in line with internal recommendations.
  • The dynamic nature of gender equity may demand the conduction of workshops for sensitization, reflection and analysis. They may be suggested by the Internal Gender Commission and/or staff members, for consideration and approval by the Institutional Articulation Center;
  • Due to its dynamic nature, the PJG will be reviewed every six years or according to demands for institutional adaptation.

On the management sphere

Decision organs:

  • Assembly and Board of Directors: over the past few years, associates have decided to favor the inclusion of more women and guarantee the presence of at least 2 women in the board, and at least one of them should be president or vice-president.
  • The construction of paths for gender equity expressed by gender balance in the NAI composition is an added value. This practice will continue being monitored and assessed;
  • The present reality of including women and men without discriminating sexual orientations or gender equity as employees of the entity in a differentiated form of positions is also an added value.
  • Continuity of the decision-making process based on consulting peers, participation and transparency in accountability;
  • Enabling the T population in management is a challenge for the next 3 years.

On the administrative sphere

Management and Personnel:

  • The practice and reflection that acknowledges that life is not expressed dichotomously between the work sphere and the personal sphere will be continued. In this sense, employees and associates have their work and personal spheres shared on an institutional level, in such a way that the management of individual times is always made more by productivity measures than by hours worked;
  • Gender equity has been respected when new people are hired. In case of female and male candidates with the same competence, an internal criterion for selection is to hire people whose gender identity tends to balance the overall gender numbers in the at the specific hiring time;
  • New people hired will receive a copy of the PJG and an oral presentation about it;
  • The entire staff shall be informed about the existence and content of the institution’s PJG. It shall inform its internal institutional and external practices concerning the benefitting publics;
  • The institution considers that the needs for more eventual dedication to personal time, to overcome specific situations, must not be considered an obstacle to performance, but as an investment in: equivalence of work conditions (e.g.: equivalence between with and without children); compensation for dedication to generating results within the deadlines in other moments; commitment to new relations to allow a new society;
  • All functions and work relations are important for the institutional operation. The efficiency on work is related to these experiences, as well as self-esteem issues. At the KOINONIA practice, all work, as well as all individuals who execute it, will continue to be valued, regardless of the person’s gender identity, thus contributing to achieving the goals the institution sets;
  • Continuity of the practice of flexible work styles, cooperative methodologies, mutual respect.

On the program sphere (2016-2021)

  • Gender justice remains a Transverse Pillar on the 2022-2027 Strategic Plan and was effectively included in the review of the respective Logical Framework, and it will be a content integrating diagnoses and reflections to be made with the external audience, reports and monitoring of actions from different programs;
  • The Institution and program analyses in relation to enforcing Human Rights (Civil, Political, Economic, Social and Environmental Rights) are based on the consideration of the ethnic-racial, age, gender, identity, and region (rural, urban, as well as geographical, cultural, etc.) diversity. Special attention will be given to information on how these Rights are enforced for women, men and the T population;
  • Employees and advisors in specific research studies: Their reflections shall also respond to the institution’s PJG, detailing analyses on how a respective theme of research impacts the lives of women, men and, whenever relevant, of the T population;
  • Information about the existence and content of PJG will be shared with different publics in different actions;
  • The goal for equal participation of women and men will guide the different program actions;
  • In situations where KOINONIA cannot determine members, the goal is to ensure the highest possible participation of women;
  • Encouraging diagnoses and reflections to be made with the external audience about how rights are enforced in the lives of women, men and the T population, thus fostering the reflection on practices and sensitization about gender equity.
  • Bibliographical resources about the theme will continue to be expanded in the institutional documentation.

CONCERNING SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND SYMBOLIC GENDER VIOLENCE:

    • The actions from KOINONIA aim at the full and equal participation from all people. Thus, no act of sexual harassment and symbolic gender violence will be admitted in the context of the organization’s actions;
    • It is understood as sexual harassment:
      • All acts with the purpose of compelling the victim to practice an action with sexual content. They range from unwanted comments to traffic of influence aiming at obtaining sexual favors to extreme forms of violence, such as rape.
      • Situations of domination and abuse of power generate actions of disrespect to the moral integrity of people. Thus, discrimination due to gender, based on abuse of power, which generates stress and humiliation to the victim, is also considered sexual harassment. These cases express the lack of respect for the other person, considered a sexual object.
      • All sexual harassment is also a symbolic gender violence, degrading and destroying the dignity of the victim and human relations.
    • If the victim reports sexual harassment, the following procedures will be adopted:
      • About the report: The report must be made to the victim’s hierarchically higher instance, provided that this instance does not include the reported person, for impartiality purposes. Higher instances must be involved until impartiality is achieved to investigate the report;
      • About actions: The instance that accepts the report must immediately investigate it and provide moral and/or other support to the victim;
    • If the reported person is found guilty, the following punishments may occur:
      • Reprehension and immediate leave of absence from the position and work;
      • End to each and any relation with KOINONIA.

    Note: The juridically established instances at KOINONIA are responsible for these proceedings.

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