Género, violencia intrafamiliar e intervención pública en Colombia

Colombia today is a country of increasing violence, militarization and human rights abuse. The cultural construction of identities here has been shaped by widespread domestic violence, which overlaps with other expressions of social and political violence. The recent state response has sought through mechanisms of protection and conciliation to end the violation of human rights in the sphere of domestic life without involving the family in penal processes.

This article reports findings of the problematic of this response, which is grounded not only on working through conciliation in cases of human rights abuse but also on a lack of consideration of the gender identities and cultural constructions surrounding domestic violence. Any intervention by the authorities is critical not only by the overwhelming demand but by their own perceptions, values and cultural images which render intervention problematic as interpersonal violence takes place in private life. The research is being conducted in Bogotá through a sample from cases of family conflicts brought to Family Commissaries Offices and through personal interviews. The aim is to assess the effectiveness of the protection and conciliation processes of the Law against Domestic Violence.