Examining intersections between violence against women and violence against children: perspectives of adolescents and adults in displaced Colombian communities

Jennifer J Mootz,Elizabeth Meyer,Mendy Marsh,Lindsay Stark,Catherine Poulton,Khudejha Asghar,Amy Ritterbusch,Cyril Bennouna,Alina Potts,Arturo Harker Roa

doi:10.1186/s13031-019-0200-6

Abstract

BackgroundResearch examining the interrelated drivers of household violence against women and violence against children is nascent, particularly in humanitarian settings. Gaps remain in understanding how relocation, displacement and ongoing insecurity affect families and may exacerbate household violence.MethodsEmploying purposive sampling, we used photo elicitation methods to facilitate semi-structured, in-depth interviews with female and male adolescents and adults aged 13–75 (n = 73) in two districts in Colombia from May to August of 2017. Participants were displaced and/or residing in neighborhoods characterized by high levels of insecurity from armed groups.ResultsUsing inductive thematic analysis and situating the analysis within a feminist socioecological framework, we found several shared drivers of household violence. Intersections among drivers at all socioecological levels occurred among societal gender norms, substance use, attempts to regulate women’s and children’s behavior with violence, and daily stressors associated with numerous community problems. A central theme of relocation was of family compositions that were in continual flux and of family members confronted by economic insecurity and increased access to substances.ConclusionsFindings suggest interventions that systemically consider families’ struggles with relocation and violence with multifaceted attention to socioecological intersections.

Highlights

Research examining the interrelated drivers of household violence against women and violence against children is nascent, in humanitarian settings
In Colombia, conflict has led to widespread displacement and the proliferation of criminal activity [28], which in turn has contributed to community and family violence [29]
Some respondents who had relocated from rural areas, for instance, described relocating because of armed conflict and rebel group activities

Summary

Introduction

Research examining the interrelated drivers of household violence against women and violence against children is nascent, in humanitarian settings. An analysis of the UN Multi-Country Study on Men and Violence in Asia and the Pacific concluded that childhood trauma, including past victimization, led to a greater likelihood of perpetration or experiences of violence in adulthood across multiple contexts [17,18,19]. Both boys and girls with maltreatment experiences, including exposure to household violence, are more likely to grow up to perpetrate aggression in adolescence and adulthood [20,21,22,23,24,25], often in the form of intimate partner violence (IPV). In a nationally representative survey in Colombia, 38% of women and girls aged 15–49 reported being physically or sexually abused by a current or recent intimate partner [30]

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Conclusion