Domestic Violence in Peru
By
Ursula Munro
Meeting with Quechua Benefit Board
The United Nations defines domestic violence as: “the use of force or threats of force by a husband or boyfriend for the purpose of coercing and intimidating a woman into submission”. Domestic violence is a serious, long-standing problem in most countries but Peru has one of the highest incidences of domestic violence in the world. Nearly half the women living in Peru have been physically assaulted by their partners and in rural areas such as the Southern Highlands; the percentage goes up to 61%. The situation there is exacerbated by the unique challenges of rural living including extreme poverty, isolation and varying community and familial expectations.
During the November 2010 Quechua Benefit medical clinic we hosted a social event to officially introduce QB and its mission to members of the local Colca Valley communities. Our purpose was to begin to lay a foundation of collaboration and communication with the folks who live and work in the towns QB aims to serve. The dinner was attended by town officials, health care professionals, Peace Corp workers dental and social care providers, nutritionists and representatives from the local church. We welcomed more than 70 guests. This was an important opportunity for QB Board members, team members and volunteers, to tell our story- the story of Quechua Benefit- who we are and why we continue to return to their towns and villages.
Two attendees at the dinner, Naida Torres and Maria Palomino, were women who together make up the domestic violence response team in the Colca Valley. Naida spoke eloquently to the group about the current situation concerning domestic violence in the Valley. She is the Coordinator for the Emergency Center for Women & Children and covers not just the town of Chivay, the largest in the Valley, but the entire Caylloma province- total population 39,000 souls. Her report was grim. Everyday she and Maria, a psychologist in the local District Attorney’s office, are in contact with women victims of domestic violence who are in crisis and have nowhere to go. She has very little in terms of emergency intervention and supportive services to offer. The people she hears from are mostly adult women abused by their husbands or intimate partners. Often the violence between adults spills over to the children in the family; frequently very young girls who become both targets and victims of physical and sexual abuse by adult family members.
After dinner, I and Quechua Benefit Medical Outreach Team members Deborah Bailey RN and Dr. Rhonda Deschner and Sandra Carbajal sat down with Naida and Maria to have a more in depth conversation. We wanted to hear more and more importantly, we wanted to know how Quechua Benefit could help.
There is an old saying amongst women in Peru- “If my husband doesn’t beat me, he must not love me enough”. To say that a lack of awareness about domestic violence exists in Peru would not be accurate. I found women to be very open and honest about the fact that abuse exists in their lives. Do they like it? Of course not, but there are traditional and cultural expectations that lend a certain level of acceptance to the presence of violence in their lives.
In 1993 Peru adopted the “Law for Protection from Family Violence”. The first of its kind to be adopted in Latin America, the law wa
s intended to ensure that victims of domestic violence have swift and effective access to protection and justice. However, reports from front line workers, like Naida and Maria say that its impact has been neither swift nor effective. The reality is that many barriers exist to accessing the legal system. Filing an official domestic violence complaint means that a women must first overcome a variety of cultural, emotional and logistical hurdles. She will likely face issues such as fear of retaliation, language and literacy barriers, administrative fees and potential exclusion from her local community. Once filed, protections are delayed due to deeply entrenched attitudes and insensitivities on the part of law and judicial authorities and in fact, after filing, it takes on average nine days for a complaint to be investigated. Filing a complaint becomes a dangerous act in and of itself because plainly said; the complaints are just not taken seriously. The cultural concept of “machismo’ colors the potential for any effective action.
As I said, their report was grim but there is no darkness without light and there is definitely light shining down on the current situation. Efforts at both the government and grass-roots levels are happening and as a result, change in the attitudes of acceptance of domestic violence will occur. I think we found two champions of change in Naida and Maria. They have a very full plate and to juggle all the aspects of meeting the needs in the valley in challenging. The most desperate need in the region is emergency shelter. The Ministry for Women & Social Development operates a number of Women Emergency Centers across the country but there is not
a center in the Valley and the closest emergency shelter is a 3 ½ hour bus ride away in Arequipa. A local, long term shelter could provide an immediate safe place for women and their children as well as a haven for social support, legal assistance, education, skills training and more. We have begun an exchange of information to lay the foundation for the creation of such a place.
Lasting change can only begin when the younger generations is educated and given the tools to understand and break the cycle of violence. Naida and Maria are keenly aware of this prerequisite and have organized a “Stop the Violence” community parade and rally in the town of Chivay. Included in the event was a contest for children who were asked to express through a drawing, how violence had affected their lives. Quechua Benefit happily donated 2 bicycles as prizes for the contest winners.
To say that I learn something new each time I travel to Peru is an understatement and what a gift it was to be educated by these strong, accomplished, professional women. Quechua Benefit is committed to working with them and through them, following their lead, to serve some of the neediest people in Peru. Who are more often than not, women.