"Todo es una sola": violencia de pareja y maltrato animal. Experiencias vividas por mujeres en Ecuador / “It’s all one and the same": Partner violence and animal maltreatment as experienced by women in Ecuador

"Through eleven in-depth interviews with women in Ecuador who have suffered intimate partner violence and exposure to animal maltreatment by partner, we explore the interactive dynamics of both types of violence. Within the framework of green and narrative victimology, three main conclusions emerged from a hybrid thematic analysis of participants’ accounts: the expansive and escalating nature of the violence, the role of the human-animal bond in both intensifying and attenuating victimization, and heightened vulnerability due to inadequate responses. Findings advocate for holistic interdisciplinary prevention and intervention strategies and highlight the need to modify gender socio-cultural patterns and address the normalization of these two types of violence."

Resumen:

"A través de once entrevistas en profundidad con mujeres de Ecuador que sufrieron violencia de pareja y la exposición al maltrato animal por la pareja, exploramos la dinámica interactiva de ambos tipos de violencia. En el marco de la victimología verde y narrativa, de un análisis temático híbrido de los relatos de las mujeres surgieron tres conclusiones principales: el carácter expansivo y ascendiente de la violencia; la influencia del vínculo humano-animal tanto intensificando como atenuando la victimización, y una elevada vulnerabilidad debido a respuestas inadecuadas. Los hallazgos abogan por estrategias holísticas e interdisciplinarias de prevención e intervención y subrayan la necesidad de modificar los patrones socioculturales de género y abordar la normalización de estos dos tipos de violencia."

Authors/Autoras:

Gema Varona Martínez is Director of the Basque Institute of Criminology (University of the Basque Country Spain) and Expert Member of CoPPA (Coordinadora de Profesionales por la Prevención de Abusos) and professor of Victimology and Criminal Policy at the University of the Basque Country. She is the author of several articles and books on human rights, migration restorative justice, juries and the construction of juridical truth, women local safety audits, victims of terrorism, victims of sexual abuse and evaluation of public policies.

Gloria Camacho Zambrano is President of the Committee of Experts of the Follow-up Mechanism of the Belém do Pará Convention (MESECVI), Inter-American Convention on Violence against Women.  and is the Committee’s titular Expert for Ecuador since 2015. As a member of CoPPA and of ALDEA Foundation, she provides reports and technical advice on projects addressing violence against women. She holds a master’s degree in Social Sciences with a mention in Gender and a Higher Diploma in Gender, Management & Public Policies, from the Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales. Her research and published works focus on violence against women, migration, gender and production of socioeconomic indicators.

Maria Esteve oversees CoPPA’s Action Committee that sets objectives and coordinates multidisciplinary projects for technical and/or thematic reports and proposals for legislative reforms and public programs that strengthen the protection of women and vulnerable groups. Her work is focused, in particular, on preventing and addressing interpersonal violence in Spain and South America, including the implications of co-occurring animal abuse. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a master’s degree in Organizational Behavior, both from Stanford University.

Virginia Portilla holds a bachelor's degree in Psychology (University of Guayaquil) and a master's degree in Public Administration and Government in Latin America (Pompeu Fabra University). Her work with Foundation Franz Weber and the Instituto de Políticas Públicas de Protección Animal (IPPPA) focuses on the promotion of educational programs for academic institutions and public policies that ameliorate the protection of animals and the coexistence of humans and animals. As former director of the ERAH office of the Government of Guayas, she coordinated courses and projects on the Human-Animal relationship and violence links in collaboration with CoPPA, the Human Rights Committee, feminist organizations and animal protection NGOs.