On the role of gender in intimate partner violence against women. Comment to Ferrer-Pérez & Bosch-Fiol, 2019

Abstract

In Spain gender violence is poorly defined in Organic Law 1/2004, focused on comprehensive protection measures for women, because it only includes intimate partner violence. Different forms of gender-based violence against women, such as rape, sexual harassment, mob violence, or trafficking in women, are excluded from this law. Gender violence depends on sexist behaviors, though not exclusively, because there is a set of non-specific violent attitudes and behaviors early learned in the family, at school, and in society that reinforce violence as an adequate coping strategy. Regarding assessment and treatment programs focused on male perpetrators of intimate partner violence, in Spain there are available assessment instruments that take into account cognitive distortions on women and violence aimed at designing multicomponent treatment programs.