User:Doodmom17/Domestic violence in Bolivia

Government action
Domestic violence is something that has been pushed under the rug and has not been a concern, even though it should be. Bolivia is one of the many states that has a high domestic violence rate, Bolivia was one of the first countries in the world to criminalize women for being in politics, but in 2012 they took a step towards protecting the women and allowing them to be in politics. Then in 2013 they passed a new comprehensive domestic violence law, this law does not allow many forms of abuse in women, including marital rape. Also in 2013 the Bolivia government started to take action and passed the 348 Law which is to attempt to prevent intimate partner violence and to try and punish the abusers. This Law also makes intimate partner violence a crime punishable up to 30 years in prison.

One reason domestic violence is so high in Bolivia is due to their culture. In Bolivia the men have a proprietary sense of control over their families and the women in their life. The men are also the financial dependent person in the relationship and is a main reason why the women stay in these situations of domestic violence. Many women in Bolivia were not even aware of their rights but are now learning about them and are now less likely to accept abuse in the home. But because of the culture in Bolivia many women still tend to find a lot of difficulty speaking up about any abuse that may be going on in their home. Most women are still learning about their rights and Bolivia has a long way to go in fixing the domestic violence issue.

As of November 26, 2006, the police Family Protection Brigade had attended to 8,954 cases as compared to approximately 5,200 in 2005 so in one year the increase in the domestic violence cases went up by almost 4,000. And it was also found that 3,640 of those cases were repeat offenders. It was estimated that most cases of domestic violence went unreported.

Article Domestic violence in Bolivia

References

1- Bolivia. 2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2006/78881.htm.

2- “---.” Human Rights Watch, 20 Jan. 2023, www.hrw.org/world-report/2023/country-chapters/bolivia#:~:text=A%20study%20published%20in%20The%20Lancet%20in%20February,highest%20percentage%20in%20Latin%20America%20and%20the%20Caribbean.

3- “Bolivia Confronts Domestic Violence.” Pulitzer Center, pulitzercenter.org/stories/bolivia-confronts-domestic-violence.

4- “Bolivia Struggles With Gender-Based Violence.” Pulitzer Center, pulitzercenter.org/stories/bolivia-struggles-gender-based-violence.

5- Wikipedia contributors. “Marital Rape.” Wikipedia, 19 Nov. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marital_rape.

Lead
The review of several studies shows that there is a higher rate of domestic violence in Latin America. The definition of the gendered violence is any act that can result in physical, psychological, or sexual harm or suffering to threat of an act regardless of the private or public location it occurs. Women in Bolivia that are younger, in a domestic relationship unmarried, with low economical status, and little education are more likely to be victims.

Article body
A 2008 survey on Domestic Violence and Health in Bolivia showed that domestic violence while causing post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), has also been linked to anxiety and depression. Symptoms of anxiety found in respondents were frequent headaches, random burst of fear, and easily being frightened. Symptoms of depression that were found in the respondents were childhood domestic violence, domestic violence of their mother, and/or previous sexual abuse. There were also psychotic disorders linked to these victims, symptoms such as hearing a voice in their head, non-epileptic seizures, and/or convulsions.The results showed that in over half of the couples interviewed, the men had the highest level of education, whereas less than 25% of the women had higher education than their partner. The women in Bolivia suffer from domestic violence due to lack of education and knowledge of resources. Further more, 71% of the women admitted to suffering from physical abuse as a child, while 42% admitted to witnessing their father(s) abuse their mother(s). To the women in Bolivia, domestic violence is a societal norm, it is seen in over 50% of the respondents either in their current or past life. The lack of resources, education, and economical maturity is the leading cause of domestic partner violence.

While there are resources available in Bolivia, the government has done very little to impact the domestic violence in their country.