The Toronto/Costa Rica Violence Prevention Project was a joint effort between the University of Costa Rica and the University of Toronto. Project activities at the two institutions were spearheaded by the Centre for Research in Women's Health (now the Women's College Research Institute) in Canada and the Centro de Investigación en Estudios de la Mujer (CIEM) in Costa Rica. It has created a number of sustainable initiatives which will continue to benefit its partner institutions for years to come.

The primary goal of the project was to create expertise at both sites in working with international partners to design, develop, deliver and evaluate gender-sensitive, anti-violence training within academic and clinical institutions. This expertise is particularly crucial for the University of Costa Rica, since it is well positioned to become a leader in Latin America in supporting service and curriculum development to address violence against women in the region.

Project Achievements

The Toronto/Costa Rica Violence Prevention project has helped to create gender-sensitive curriculum and policy at the University of Costa Rica, and has created resources for violence prevention and gender sensitivity that are now being used by health and government agencies in Costa Rica. It has also inspired and supported the work of a diverse group of graduate students from both Costa Rica and Canada. Most recently, the project partners helped sponsor a conference on best practices for addressing gender violence that drew participants from across Latin America.

Download this PDF about the acheivements of the Toronto/Costa Rica Violence Prevention Project.