The causes and effects of gender-based violence.

We explore the causes of this serious social problem.

"There are criminals who proclaim so blithely 'I killed her because she was mine', just like that, as if it were common sense and just of all justice and private property rights, which makes the man the owner of the woman. But none, none, not even the most macho of supermacho men has the courage to confess 'I killed her out of fear', because after all, the woman's fear of the man's violence is the mirror of the man's fear of the fearless woman."

-Eduardo Galeano

There is a long history of generations and centuries through which inequality between men and women has been legitimized, always based on a myriad of arguments: theological, psychological, moral and even biological.

This way of thinking has consecrated multiple forms of aberrant treatment of women, covert treatment and nurtured in the strictest privacy, however, today it is frankly impossible to continue to hide this reality.

First approaches to gender violence

It is very common that when talking about this subject, terms are confused and meanings are mixed up, so first of all we should differentiate the dichotomy between violence y aggressionWe should therefore first differentiate the dichotomy between violence and aggressiveness in order to avoid making value judgments and stereotyped attributions.

Aggressiveness and violence

We thus understand as aggressiveness as that innate and adaptive capacity of the human being that guarantees its own survival, while the concept of violence responds to a set of social values associated with aggressiveness, so that in this case we are dealing with maladaptive and socially learned behavior.

When a woman victim of gender violence requires professional intervention, a group of particularities must be taken into account so as not to fall into the trap of trivializing her experience, offering contributions that involuntarily blame her or awaken in her a certain sense of incomprehension.

Characteristics of gender-based violence

• The violent event is not the result of an isolated occurrence, as it occurs systematically.
• They are usually invisible, i.e, they occur in a private environment and it is the women themselves who hide in panic at having to expose their reality.
• Often the aggressor often gives an impeccable image to societyThis unfortunately makes the situation difficult to believe or understand.
• Victims have the feeling that the circumstances they are experiencing are not serious enough to manifest them publicly, which makes it even more difficult for them to seek outside help.
• All this is the result of a real inequality between men and women derived from the patriarchal code that still resonates in society today. This code is the same one that leads the aggressor to use mechanisms of control and condemnation of the woman.

How does gender-based violence work?

Violence within a relationship does not appear overnight, it goes through a number of crossroads before the victim can identify the ordeal that the relationship with her aggressor will bring her. According to American psychologist Leonor Walker, violence goes through a cycle composed of three phases.

When a woman enters this cycle, she no longer sees any possible alternatives for escape and finds herself trapped in the situation. A cognitive dissonance is generated in her between the enjoyment experienced in the relationship and the nameless discomfort she suffers, because contrary to what is usually thought, there is not only shouting, insults, threats and blows, there is also tenderness, affection and sweet details that make the woman think that she has finally found the man of her life.

First phase: increased tension in the couple

In the first phase of the cycle, the nameless malaise begins to come to life, an increase in tension between the two partners is perceived.In the first phase of the cycle the unnamed discomfort begins to come to life, there is an increase in tension between the two partners, there are tentative signs of what will later become aggression, such as shouting and small fights. The woman accepts these abuses as legitimately directed at her because she thinks she may be deserving of such aggression.

The assaulted person tries to find endless excuses and reasons to understand what is happening, to the point of assuming that she herself by her behavior or attitude is the one who has provoked her aggressor's anger, and what further perpetuates the cycle, she tends to think that with time she will be able to change her partner's behavior, a fact that in no case is ever fulfilled.

This phase This phase can last for days, weeks, months or even years before incidents are not before major incidents of aggression are not triggered. From the man's point of view, he becomes more and more sensitive, everything bothers him, he gets irritated very easily, and he gets angry for objectively insignificant things.

Second phase: fury is unleashed

In the second phase proposed by L. Walker an irrepressible discharge of tensions is experienced. that have been accumulating during the course of the previous phase. There is a lack of control over the totally destructive behavior, the woman accepts that her aggressor's anger is out of control but can do nothing to calm it down, it is in this phase when physical aggression or total psychological destruction arises.

The aggressor is the only one who can put an end to this state. Its duration is around 2 to 24 hours, during which the woman is blamed for everything that has happened. It should be noted that it is at this moment that the woman is completely susceptible and open to receiving professional help due to the great fear she feels of being abused again.

Third phase: repentance of the aggressor

In the third and last phase before starting the whole cycle again, a state of repentance is experienced, a state of deep repentance is experienced on the part of the aggressor.He takes advantage of the victim's vulnerability to offer her docile doses of affection and attention, showing at all times a behavior and attitude of affliction and internal remorse.

It is at this point that the whole cycle of violence is perpetuated, the woman feels loved and happy again, which leads her to place herself in a position of complete trust towards her aggressor. The duration of this stage is shorter than the first phase but longer than the second, so trying to offer help at this point will not bring any positive results, the woman is once again deeply in love and subordinated to the will of her aggressor. As the cycle repeats itself, this third phase tends to be minimized until it eventually disappears, at which point the Honeymoon comes to an end.

Some conclusions

The feeling that there is no way out

The repetition of these cycles is what usually leads to an increase in violence, which translates into greater danger for the woman, who begins to think that there is no alternative or possible way out, thus submerging herself in the deepest surrender. The truth is that sometimes shocking or traumatic events leave the sufferer anchored in the day or period in which they occurred, thus activating a state of shock that can paralyze one's whole life in a second..

Complaints that end up being withdrawn

The repeated occurrence of these cycles is also the reason why many women tend to withdraw the complaints filed and many even wish to return to their aggressors to resume the relationship, a situation that most of society never understands.

On the Day against gender-based violence

We must not promote the no to gender violence just one day a year, must be a constant loudspeaker to reach those ears that have lost all will to move forward, the first step must be to make us aware of how this fabric that subtly envelops its victim is woven and evolves.

"More than thirty thousand women appear as victims of gender violence in the total of 32,023 complaints filed in judicial bodies. The number of requests for protection orders increased by more than 9%. The president of the Observatory, Ángeles Carmona, understands that the increase in the number of complaints and convictions may reveal a greater social and institutional awareness of gender violence".

(Judicial Branch Communication, October 19, 2015)