The research by the MIPP Millennium Institute, which covers a period of 10 years and includes preliminary data from 2022, provided a general analysis of intra-family violence in Chile, and results that allow citizens and public policy makers to be informed on this issue.
A study by the Millennium Institute for Market Imperfections and Public Policies (MIPP) revealed that the number of women who report having suffered intrafamily violence (VIF) grew 11.4 percentage points in just 10 years.
According to data from the survey and the follow-up survey, the analysis showed that in the case of “Life Prevalence”, which refers to women who have suffered some type of violence during their lives, there was an increase from 32, 6% in 2012 to 44% in 2022, which shows an increase of 11.4 percentage points in just 10 years.
Meanwhile, in the “Year Prevalence”, referring to women who in the last 12 months have been victims of some type of violence, the figure went from 18.2% in 2012 to 23.3% in 2022. Unlike the Survey, CEAD statistics reveal a very different picture in the number of cases of domestic violence in Chile. According to the crimes registered by this platform, in 2022 1.5% of women nationwide were victims of VIF.
“The figures known by the police and public institutions regarding IFV crimes differ greatly from reality. The Survey’s statistics refer to those surveyed women who report having been victims of VIF, those who may or may not have reported and for this reason the difference is so wide. The reality of how this phenomenon manifests itself is provided by the Survey, but we only see the cases provided by CEAD, that is, we only know the tip of the iceberg,” says Camila Trujillo, researcher at the Institute’s Gender, Economy and Public Policies Fund. MIPP Millennium.
According to Trujillo and Damian Clarke, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Economics and Business at the University of Chile and researcher at the MIPP Millennium Institute, the gap between incidence and reporting in cases of violence against women is quite high. According to the Survey and the follow-up survey, reports of incidents of violence in workplaces fell from 30.8% in 2017 to 13.6% in 2022. In psychological and physical violence, reports have also fallen, from 27.6% in 2012 to 18.6% in 2022, and from 36% in 2012 to 28.2% in 2022 respectively. Meanwhile, the main reasons why women victims of VIF do not report are 1) because it was not something serious and they did not consider it necessary, 2) they were ashamed to tell about their situation and 3) they do not believe that reporting is useful or they had reported before and nothing happened.
“To know the real magnitude of this crime, it is important that these facts are reported. But it happens that the reporting channels and mechanisms are not very effective or reliable, since the victims are afraid to report possible reprisals from the aggressor or they believe that going to the authorities will have no effect. In addition, there is still a naturalization of the VIF, where women believe that these crimes are not so serious or that they are not a serious problem that should be reported. To reverse this situation, it is important to raise awareness and educate society on these issues, since it is not only a problem of the police or judicial system, but also at a cultural level and requires articulation in various areas,” concludes Trujillo.
As for the regional situation of Yearly Prevalence, Arica and Parinacota shows a significant rise from 17% in 2017 to 35% in 2022, which means an increase of 18 percentage points in women who in the last 12 months have been victims of some kind of violence. Other regions that showed significant growth are Tarapacá, which went from 18% in 2017 to 29% in 2022, Antofagasta, which rose from 20% in 2017 to 27% in 2022, and Atacama, which rose from 12% in 2017 to 22% in 2020, maintaining at 21% in 2022, and Valparaíso that climbed from 22% in 2017 to 28% in 2022.
Preliminary results indicate that in 2022 the regions with the lowest Year Prevalence were Los Lagos and Magallanes with 16.6% and 18.3% respectively, while in the period between 2020 and 2022 it is observed that in most regions the Overall FIV prevalence increased, with the exception of the Atacama Region, Coquimbo, Maule, Bío-Bío and Araucanía.
MIPP Chile 2024