survey on the prevalence of sexual violence ......survey on the prevalence of sexual violence...
TRANSCRIPT
SURVEY ON THE PREVALENCE
OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE
AGAINST WOMEN IN THE CONTEXT OF THE
COLOMBIAN ARMED
CONFLICT (2010-2015)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Encuesta de prevalencia de violencia sexual en contra de las mujeres en el contexto del conflicto armado colombiano 2010-2015
Survey on the prevalence of sexual violence against women in the context of the Colombian armed conflict 2010-2015
Research team: Olga Amparo Sánchez Gómez, Abelardo Carrillo Urrego,José Giovany Babativa Márquez, María del Pilar Rengifo, Liliana Silva Miguez
Edition of the executive summary:Diego Cancino
Campaign - Rape and other violence: leave my body out of the warAsociación Mujeres y Madres Abriendo Caminos - AMMACAsociación Red de Mujeres Víctimas y ProfesionalesAsociación Santa Rita para la Educación y Promoción- FUNSAREP Centro de Promoción
y Cultura - CPCCentro Regional de Derechos Humanos y Justicia de Género -Humanas ColombiaColectivo de Abogados José Alvear RestrepoCoalición Contra la Vinculación de Niños, Niñas y Jóvenes al Conflicto Armado en
Colombia-COALICOCorporación Casa de la MujerCorporación Mujer Sigue Mis PasosCorporación Vamos MujerHumanidad Vigente Corporación JurídicaOxfamRuta Pacífica de las Mujeres
Design and graphics:Identidad Desarrollo Publicitario SAS
Cover photo: Archivo Red de Mujeres Víctimas y Profesionales / Photographer Juan Carlos Barbero
This publication has been made possible with support from the Ministry of Foreign Relations of the Netherlands in the framework of the project “Strengthening the movement to eliminate the forms of violence against women in Colombia, Mexico and Cuba”.
Bogotá, Colombia, August 2017 All Rights Reserved
ISBN: 978-958-59077-3-7
3
A
4
Source: Prepared by the authors based on the ENVISE 2010 – 2015 survey.
Strata 1
Strata 2
Strata 3
Strata 4
Large cities
Medium-large cities
Medium-sized municipalities
Small municipalities
More than 400,000 residents
From 160,000 to 400,000 residents
From 35,000 to 160,000 residents
Less than 35,000 residents
5
9
21
107
Category Inclusion criteria (women) # of municipalities
TABLE 1: Municipalities with presence of armed groups, according to sampling strata
TABLE 2:
Source: Prepared by the authors based on the ENVISE 2010 – 2015 survey
Magdalena
Quindío
Meta
Norte de Santander
Sucre
La Guajira
Nariño
Caquetá
Norte de Santander
Valle del Cauca
Cundinamarca
Antioquia
Valle del Cauca
Atlántico
Bolívar
Plato
La Tebaida
Puerto López
Tibú
Sincelejo
Riohacha
San Andrés de Tumaco
Florencia
Cúcuta
Buenaventura
Bogotá
Medellín
Cali
Barranquilla
Cartagena de Indias
4
4
4
4
3
3
3
3
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
78
68
65
61
105
103
89
83
158
142
246
229
223
159
145
Department Municipality Strata in the sample
Sample size
Municipalities included in the sample
5
TABLE 3
Social and economic characteristics of the women surveyed
Based on the sampling methodology used, the survey results are representative for women between 15 and 44 years of age who live in urban centers of 142 municipalities where armed confrontations occurred, distributed across 29 departments.
Age of women surveyed 15-24 25-34 35-44
% of total sample 23% 29% 48%
Socio-economic housing classification of 1 – very low 2 - low 3 – lowerwomen surveyed (for public services rates) medium
% of total sample 40% 42.2% 17%
Ethnic identity of Mixed Race Indigenous Afro- White No ethnic women surveyed Colombian group identity
% of total sample 36% 5% 17% 19% 21%
Civil status of Single Married Civil union Separated Widowedwomen surveyed or divorced
% of total sample 40% 17.7% 35.5% 3.3% 3.4%
Educational Primary school High school, High school, Technical Universityattainment studies studies
% of total 18.80% 24.05% 30.64% 14.21% 11.3% sample
Work life of Domestic Self-employed Employed in Employed in women surveyed care worker private sector public sector
% of total sample 50% 27.7% 10.4% 6.3%
of women (some or all) incomplete complete (some or all) (some or all)
4-medium
1% 0%
Noinformation
Other
1.35% 0.04%
Noinformation
other studies
0.79% 0.21%
Noinformation
0.1%
Noinformation
6
Socio-demographic characteristics of women victimsof sexual violence
Figure 1: Prevalence of sexual violence against women according to ethnicity
Source: Prepared by the authors based on the ENVISE 2010 – 2015 survey.
Afro
Mestiza
None
Other
White
Indigenous
8.2%
7.2%
5.1%
2.0%0.0% 4.0% 6.0% 8.0% 10.0% 12.0% 14.0%
9.2%
9.7%
11.7%
Figure 2: Prevalence of sexual violence against women according to age group
Source: Prepared by the authors based on the ENVISE 2010 – 2015 survey
15 to 24
35 to 44
25 to 34
11.1%
10.0%
8.6%
0.0% 2.0% 4.0% 6.0% 8.0% 10.0% 12.0%
7
Afro-descendant women from the ages of 15-24 residing in housing classified as the lowest income bracket are more exposed to being victims of sexual violence than women from other ethnic origins, age ranges and housing brackets.
TABLE 4
Prevalence of sexual violence against women according tosocio-economic housing classification
Prevalence of sexual violence according to populationconcentration
Very Low Low Lower - Medium
10.5% 9.5% 6.8%
Figure 3: Prevalence of sexual violence in the 15 municipalities included in the sample (2010-2015)
Source: Prepared by the authors based on the ENVISE 2010 – 2015 survey.
Medellín
Buenaventura
Bogotá
Cali
Riohacha
Cúcuta
Sincelejo
Santander de Quilichao
Plato
Puerto López
Arauca
La Tebaida
Barranquilla
Cartagena
35.4 %
30.6 %
30.2 %
16.2 %
15.4 %
12.2 %
11.9 %
11.9 %
11.7 %
11.1 %
11.0 %
9.1 %
8.0 %
3.5 %
8
The results of the survey suggest a relationship between the use of weapons and sexual violence against women. More than one of every five women victims reported being intimidated by the aggressor using a weapon. Of these, over half were threatened with a firearm and more than a third with a knife.
Sexual violence was more prevalent in larger cities. As the population size of the municipality increases, so does the prevalence of women victims of sexual violence. The percentage of victims was found to be significantly higher for the five larger cities of more than 400,000 residents (21.7 percent) and medium-large cities of 160,000-400,000 (21.5 percent), compared with mid-size municipalities of 35,000-160,000 (12.5 percent) and small municipalities of under 35,000 residents (8.5 percent).
Use of weapons by perpetrators of sexual violenceagainst women
Figure 4: Prevalence of sexual violence in the sample municipalities grouped by size.
Small cities5 large cities Medium-sized cities
Medium-large cities
Source: Prepared by the authors based on the ENVISE 2010 – 2015 Survey
25.00%
20.00%
15.00%
10.00%
5.00%
0.00%
21.7% 21.5%
12.5%
8.9%
Figure 5: Type of weapon used by the aggressor.
Source: Prepared by the authors based on ENVISE 2010 – 2015.
Used a weapon
Firearm
Knife
Blunt weapon 9%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
36%
51%
22.8%
9
The survey found that one of every six women was a victim of rape. Women from the ages of 25-34 were most affected by rape, forced prostitution and forced abortion, while those in the youngest age group (15-24) were most affected by sexual harassment, forced pregnancy and social control. The proportion of women who were victims of social control and sexual harassment was highest overall.
In municipalities where armed confrontations occurred during Colombia’s armed conflict, the survey revealed the extent to which armed actors were engaged in sexual violence against women. Among armed actors who committed acts of sexual violence, those identified by women victims as belonging to illegal armed groups were reported as responsible for the majority of incidents, with the exception of rape.
Forms of sexual violence against women
Perpetrators of sexual violence against women
Figure 6: Women victims according to type of sexual violence
Source: Prepared by the authors based on the ENVISE 2010 – 2015 Survey.
Social control
Sexual harassment
Rape and sexual assault
Forced domestic services
Forced Abortion
Forced Prostitution
Forced pregnancy
Other
Forced sterilization
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
64.2%
45.2%
16.8%
13.9%
6.5%
3.9%
2.7%
2.9%
1.6%
35.8%
54.8%
83.2%
86.1%
93.5%
96.1%
97.3%
98.0%
98.4%
HAS NOT been a victimHAS BEEN a victim
10
Although family members were reported to be the main perpetrator of most forms of sexual violence against women (except for sexual harassment and forced sterilization), this finding should not be interpreted to mean the armed conflict has not had an impact on the evident prevalence of sexual violence against women in Colombia. Rather, it suggests that the presence of armed actors and the context of armed conflict increases and shapes the risk of sexual violence against women, even when armed groups may not be the principal perpetrators of that violence.
Colombia’s Constitutional Court has referred to sexual violence against women as an integral aspect of structural, gender-based discrimination and violence. Sexual violence against women is seen to be more prevalent where gender-based discrimination is entrenched and violence is generalized.
Some survey results according to form of sexual violence
Figure 7: Prevalence of types of sexual violence against women by actors in the armed conflict
Source: Prepared by the authors based on ENVISE 2010–2015
Forced prostitution
Sexual harassment
Forced domestic services
Rape and sexual assault
Social control
Forced pregnancy
Forced abortion
Forced sterilization
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%
17%
16%
14%
10%
8%
6%
4%
6%
7%
1%
15%
2%
19%
4%
Military and police forces Other criminal actorIllegal armed actor
11
12
Survey results indicated that war has an impact on sexual violence against women both in the public and private domains. Women feel more vulnerable with the presence of armed groups independently of whether they have been victims.
Militarization and sexual violence against women
Figure 8: Militarization and sexual violence I
Source: Prepared by the authors based on the ENVISE 2010 – 2015 Survey.
Rape and sexual assault
Sexual Harassment
Social control
75% 80% 85% 90% 95% 100%
96%
90%
84%
4%
10%
16%
HAS BEEN a victimHAS NOT been a victim
Women who believe the presence of armed actors has increased sexual violence in the private domain
13
Regardless of whether they have been a victim of sexual violence – specifically, rape, sexual harassment and social control – a large proportion of women believe that the presence of armed groups exacerbates their perceived risk of being a victim of sexual violence in both the public and private domain.
Only 20 percent of women victims of sexual violence said they had reported the incidents to authorities, while 78 percent said they did not report what happened (2 percent did not respond to the question). In other words, 682,840 women victims did not report the sexual violence they suffered, while 175,087 did report the incidents. According to the women who did not report, the most common reasons were fear of reprisal (24 percent), lack of interest (23.3 percent), lack of trust in the judicial system (12.2 percent), not wanting the family to find out (9 percent), and not knowing how (6 percent).
Reports to authorities on sexual violence against women
Figure 9: Militarization and sexual violence II
Source: Prepared by the authors based on ENVISE 2010–2015.
Rape and sexual assault
Sexual harassment
Social control
100%10%0% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
96%
90%
67%
4%
10%
34%
Believe that armed actors increase the prevalence of sexual violence in the private domain.
Do not believe that armed actors increase the prevalence of sexual violence in the private domain.
Women who have not been victims of rape, sexual harassment or social control
14
Conclusion and Recommendations
Source: Prepared by the authors based on the ENVISE 2010-2015 survey.Results valid for drawing conclusions regarding the 142 municipalities included in the sampling framework.
Fiscalía General de la Nación (Office of the Attorney General)
Defensor del Pueblo (Office of the Ombudsman)
Inspección de Policía (local neighborhood police office)
Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar (Colombian Family Welfare Institute)
Comisaría de Familia (local center to attend domestic violence cases)
Personeros municipales (Office of the Municipal Ombudsperson)
No information
Total number of victims
51.06%
5.37%
14.92%
1.26%
18.57%
0.74%
8.08%
175,087
Reported being a victim
Table 5: Institutions where victims reported the crime.
15
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