Half of Argentine women experienced situations of gender violence

Almost 50% of Argentine women have experienced or are experiencing situations of violence, a revelation that came from a survey conducted for the first time in 12 provincesand that this Monday presented in Chaco the Ministry of Women, Gender and Diversity. The data collected indicated that about half of the respondents -45%- who are or have been in a relationship, experienced some type of violence in the domestic sphere. The type of violence with the most mentions was psychological (42%), although in general two or more types of violence are always combined.

The ‘Survey on the prevalence of violence against women’ It was promoted by the Ministry of Women, Gender and Diversity (MMGyD) and the Spotlight Initiative, a project of the United Nations and the European Union. It is “the first survey of its kind and provides a baseline for measuring the problem, while evaluating the state response to gender violence,” it was explained in the document that analyzes the survey. To carry out the study, they interviewed 12,152 women between the ages of 18 and 65 from 25 urban agglomerations in Buenos Aires, Chaco, Chubut, Entre Ríos, Jujuy, Neuquén, Misiones, Salta, San Luis, Santa Fe, Santiago del Estero and Tucumán.

Although violence against women is widespread throughout the 12 provinces that make up the sample, at the extremes are Salta and Jujuy with the highest prevalence of crimeY Santa Fe as the one with the lowest percentage.
Among the testimonies of the women, it was highlighted that, in cases of physical violence by their ex-partners, practically half (47%) shared that the episodes occurred in front of their daughters, sons, sons. In these cases, the moment in which the woman expresses her intention to separate, as well as during pregnancy and maternity, are identified as events associated with episodes of violence.

Argentina “it does not have a survey on the prevalence of gender-based violence, of national scope and of regular or periodic frequency”, said Elizabeth Gómez Alcorta, Minister of Women, Gender and Diversity. “For this reason, this survey is a qualitative advance and allows laying the foundations to know the problem and the presence of risk factors, the filing (or not) of the complaint and the reasons that accompany that decision, the accessibility and quality of the state response, as well as the reasons why the institutional circuit was not toured, the existence of informal support networks at the family, community level and their accompaniment or not in a situation of gender violence, “he added. In relation to sexual abuse, 17% of the interviewees said that they had experienced this situation, violence perpetrated by men with or without family ties.

Another axis that the survey contributed is related to the effects that violence has on the health and well-being of women.
Depression, anguish and fears are the priority responses. Among the most alarming impacts, almost 30% of those who went through situations of violence by a former partner, and 10% of those who were violated by a current partner, reported a lack of desire to continue living. Regarding the search for containment, the figures show that 41.5% of those who went through situations of violence by their partners or ex-partners turned to people they knew. In the case of physically abused women, 60% went for help or advice. This implies that 40% of the interviewees live their situation alone without any type of support and containment from their environment. And only 21% of them decided to file a complaint.

The youngest are the ones who most tend to communicate their situation and request assistance and support in their networks, it was highlighted in the document. The majority of those surveyed who went through situations of gender violence stated that they were aware of some care service or device (67.4%), Among those who stated that they were aware of them, Line 144 was the most mentioned resource. The results “make gender violence visible as a situation that affects about half of the women interviewed and from which multiple dimensions can be analyzed,” the document stressed.

In addition, it was highlighted that “It is a transcendental contribution due to the lack of antecedents of similar surveys in our country that until now prevented having a baseline for measuring the problem”. The survey was conducted in the context of the covid 19 pandemic, and it was proposed to address four types of violence against women in the form of domestic violence: physical, psychological, sexual, and economic and patrimonial at some point in their lives and in the last year, by a current partner or former partner in the context of heterosexual relationships.

In a complementary way, it inquired about situations of sexual abuse by men with or without family ties. The survey was presented this Monday, the day on which the National Plan against Gender-Based Violence 2022-2024 is also presented in Chaco, which summarizes what was done during the first plan that covered between 2020 and 2022, and sets the lines of current and future work. “Only with more of the State present will there be less violence,” said Gómez Alcorta.

The complete survey can be seen at sinviolenciasdegenero.ar

• Attention, containment and advice in situations of gender violence

• By free call 24 hours Line 144
• By WhatsApp +5491127716463
• By mail to [email protected]
• Downloading the apps