Rafael Nunez Aponte: Learn more about Gender-Based Violence

Groups of Support to the Victim

Gender-Based Violence (GBV) is a term used to describe the harmful acts committed against a person based on the differences that society assigns to men and women separately. This term is used primarily as a way to highlight the vulnerability of women and girls to several forms of violence in the places where they are victims of discrimination because they are women. Important organizations such as UNICEF give us a list of various forms of GBV. The examples they provide include:

• ·         Exploitation and sexual abuse.
• ·         Child marriage.
• ·         Mutilation / female genital cutting.
• ·         Sexual harassment.
• ·         Abuse in the price of dowry.
• ·         Honor killings.
• ·         Domestic or intimate partner violence.
• ·         Deprivation of inheritance or property.
• ·         Abuse of the elderly.

It is important to highlight that there are many institutions and organizations that give support to victims of abuse such as Counter Pedophilia Investigative Unit and PLAFAM (Asociación civil de Planificación Familiar). This association has a program for all the public which objectives are:

1. Awareness and strengthening institutional capacity on issues of violence to improve the detection and treatment services to people living in situations of potential or actual risk.
2. Awareness of violence as a public health issue, both in users as in PLAFAM staff.
3.  Prevention of GBV situations, implementing education programs and guidance to young people.
4. Promoting research on issues related to violence.
5.  Creating intervention and evaluation strategies that allow the optimization of health services.
6. Promote Socio Emotional Empowerment  to Women victims / survivors of GBV.

How PLAFAM Can Help the Victims?

Individual Psychological counseling (psychotherapy)

Attention to children / girls and adolescents victims of sexual violence and providing a service to the legal authorities and, by giving child and adolescent psychological treatment, support groups and counseling preteens, teens and parent in order to protect and guarantee their rights.