Gender violence: new realities and new challenges

Abstract

This article aims to analyze gender violence as a public health problem. Numerous studies have demonstrated that one out of three women, at some moment of their life, has been victim of sexual, physical or psychological violence perpetrated by men. During the last decades, gender violence (GV) ceased to be a private problem and is now recognized and treated as a public problem; thousands of programs have been developed to help women, from lodgings, shelters and legal help groups to support groups and guidance services. Activists and theorists have understood that, although essential, these services are insufficient. To eradicate GV we should approach causes as well as effects. Some focuses can be more effective than others; nevertheless, the key to eliminate GV is in intersector and community participation. When approaching GV in an integral way, the possibility of prevention becomes a reality and social networks are created to ensure that GV victims receive the attention and protection they need. Thus, the fundamental objective of this work is to contribute so that the programs that fight against GV become part of primary care centers in the scope of an extended plan of the public health policies.