Intimate Partner Violence: The Perspective of Men Living in Two Municipalities in Valle del Cauca, Colombia

Abstract

Introduction Intimate partner violence (IPV) is one of the most common types of violence women experience. The WHO defines IPV as behavior by a current or former intimate partner causing physical, sexual or psychological harm, including physical aggression, sexual coercion, psychological abuse, and controlling behaviors. Objective: The purpose of this study was to understand the perspectives of men from two municipalities in Valle del Cauca on IVP Method: A socioecological approach was used to understand men’s perspectives. Six focus groups were conducted with male inhabitants from the cities of Cali and Tuluá, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. Thirty-three men aged over 18 participated. Interviewers followed a guide with open questions based on various hypothetical scenarios involving couples. Results:Participants recognized situations with examples of the different forms of IPV, whether psychological, social, physical, or sexual. Economic domination strategies were associated with these forms of IPV, as both a causative factor and a consequence. In the accounts of the participants, vulnerability was a pervasive factor across all levels of analysis. Participants questioned overt scenarios of violence yet failed to identify the influence of the power imbalance between sexes as underlying IPV. Discussion and conclusion: Although there is no conscious attempt by men to reaffirm their power, men and women are conditioned by their gender in societies where the structural inequity of a patriarchal society exerts an influence at both the individual and societal level.