Digital gender-based violence in Chile: a survey during the COVID-19 pandemic

Soto, Cecilia Alejandra Ananías; Sánchez, Karen Denisse Vergara; Monsalve, Consuelo Valentina Herrera; Ortiz, Beatriz Yudich Barra

doi:10.1590/1984-6487.sess.2023.39.e22306.a.en

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Brasil

Sexualidad, Salud y Sociedad (Rio de Janeiro)

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Brasil

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Dossier • Sex., Salud Soc. (Rio J.) (39) • 2023 • https://doi.org/10.1590/1984-6487.sess.2023.39.e22306.a.en copy

Digital gender-based violence in Chile: a survey during the COVID-19 pandemic

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

Abstract

This research was carried out under the wing of Amaranta, a Chilean feminist and activist NGO. Its objective was to explore from a gender perspective the digital violence that affected women in Chile. The study that was conducted at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. For this purpose, 531 women from all regions of the country were surveyed. Of this non-probabilistic sample, 73.8% had suffered digital violence. The most reported attacks were: verbal violence, harassment, sending sexual images without consent, defamation, threats and loss of account or non-consensual access and tended to come from anonymous persons and men in their immediate circle. Among the consequences they mention: emotional effects, effects on self-esteem or relationship with their body and feeling watched. It is concluded that digital violence has a disproportionate impact on women, young women and girls and that, due to little or no access to comprehensive sexual education and digital literacy, it may be difficult for them to recognize, prevent and address it in time.

Key words:
gender-based violence; feminism; online violence; technology-based violence; cyberbullying

Centro Latino-Americano em Sexualidade e Direitos Humanos (CLAM/IMS/UERJ) R. São Francisco Xavier, 524, 6º andar, Bloco E 20550-013 Rio de Janeiro/RJ Brasil, Tel./Fax: (21) 2568-0599 - Rio de Janeiro - RJ - Brazil
E-mail: sexualidadsaludysociedad@gmail.com

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Category	Quotes	Analysis
Negligence of responsible state entities	“I felt powerless, the entities that were supposed to protect you did nothing and would only do so if there was clear evidence of mistreatment or threat. No matter the psychological damage that cyber abuse entails, you must bear it alone or with your close circle while the aggressor remains unpunished and many times without having any idea of the complaints.”	One of the relevant elements of this response is that it explicitly states that when making the complaint and/or resorting to the corresponding State entities, there was no understanding of the characteristics of gender violence on the Internet, where the expressions of this violence are not given explicitly (in their majority), so that in the absence of this evidence, many times the cases are dismissed, which shows shortcomings that the country's judicial system presents regarding the reception of complaints of gender violence, both at a general level, and to what this research refers to, related to the Internet. According to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (2007), States must act effectively on these issues: In particular, they must have an adequate legal protection framework, with effective application and prevention policies and practices that allow them to act effectively in response to complaints. The prevention strategy must be comprehensive, that is, it must prevent risk factors and at the same time, strengthen institutions so that they can provide an effective response to cases of violence against women. Likewise, States must adopt preventive measures in specific cases in which it is evident that certain women and girls may be victims of violence.
	“The Prosecutor's Office archives EVERYTHING. They do not care about what they consider to be a petty crime. In addition, in Antofagasta there is no Cybercrime [subdivision of the Investigative Police], everything takes three times as long. All bad.	Along the same lines as stated above, the Prosecutor's Office, an autonomous body in our country, follows the line of the judiciary, thus evidencing general shortcomings at the state level that need to be overcome to effectively address this violence. On the other hand, it is necessary to state that respondents from regions outside the RM, indicated that in the places where they resided the institution did not have certain specialised brigades.
Therapeutic support and close circles	“I recovered through therapy and support from family, partner, friends, and colleagues” “My close circle blocked my attackers from their social networks and gave me support” “I did not want to access justice, I preferred to take refuge in my family”	Based on previous analysis, it was also necessary to ask where the respondents could receive help, listening and support after the violence they experienced. For most of them, one of the most useful tools to deal with these experiences was, on the one hand, psychological therapy and also friends and their own families, prioritising the ties and networks that did not judge them and who provided support, affection and company throughout the process. In other words, social support and psychological therapy were the tools that allowed them to face violence, facing the problems they faced in state institutions. Social support will be understood as follows: Lin's (1986) concept of structured social support refers to the instrumental or expressive provisions that the community, social networks and people with whom close and trusted ties are established provide to individuals in their community. (Estrada; Olaizola; Rodríguez, p. 524, 2010ESTRADA, Cristina; HERRERO, Juan Herrero; RODRÍGUEZ, Francisco Javier. 2012. “La red de apoyo en mujeres víctimas de violencia contra la pareja en el estado de Jalisco (México)”. Universitas Psychologica. Vol. 11, nº2, p. 523-534.).