Violence against Women in Latin America

Abstract

It is estimated that more than 50% of the women in Latin America and the Caribbean suffer some type of family violence, in addition to other forms of violence affecting women and children in other settings. Genderbased violence (GBV) is a phenomenon occurring in all Latin American countries, at all social levels and in every sphere of society. In the Latin American region there is great cultural diversity; there is also a great variety of norms, systems, sexual division of labor, distribution of sexual power, gender social norms and public representations regarding violence and honor that are influencing the manifestations of violence against women. This violence attempts against life, dignity and the human rights of the victims in private and public spaces since it has consequences ranging from mental and physical health, consequences to reduced economic, political and social participation; even homicides and suicides, as shown by the indicators of income, labor participation, morbidity and mortality, education, nutrition, and years of healthy life lost by the affected women. There is a substantial body of research on violence against women in Latin America and the Caribbean, but studies have defined and measured violence in such diverse ways that it has often been difficult to compare findings across studies and settings. Furthermore, most research has centered on the experiences of female victims; few studies have focused on boys or men either as victims or perpetrators. It is noteworthy that relatively few published studies from the Latin American and the Caribbean region mention ethical issues relevant to conducting research on such a sensitive topic.