Violence Against Women Is 'Normal,' Say Latam Youth: Report

A new report that interviewed thousands of young people across Latin America about violence towards women suggests that catcalling; economic violence; beatings; rape; jealousy, discrimination and other forms of sexism have become normalized.

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The report, entitled 'Breaking Molds: Transforming Imaginary And Social Norms To Eliminate Violence Against Women' interviewed 4,731 men and women between 15 and 25 years old in Bolivia; Cuba; Colombia; El Salvador; Guatemala; Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, with alarming results.

Machismo is "accepted and tolerated by many young people" in Latin America, said Damaris Ruiz, Oxfam's coordinator for women's rights in Latin America and the Caribbean.

For example, 63 percent of interviewees betweeen 20 and 25 years old said women won't leave a violent relationship even if their boyfriend threatens to kill them.

Meanwhile, 65 percent of men between 15 and 19 think that if a woman says she doesn't want to have sex, she actually wants to "play hard to get." Worse, 45 percent of women in the same age range think the same.

"Normalization of everyday machismo ofted leads to tragic ends for women and girls. As proof, 1,831 women were murdered in 2016 just for being women," Ruiz said.

Additionally, 72 percent of men said women dressed suggestively or walking by themselves at night were partly responsible for violence, while 62 percent of women agreed.

Two out of every five young men think that if a woman is inebriated she can be blamed for her own rape, even if she's unconscious.

Regarding domestic violence, 45 of the surveyed women think it's normal and 86 percent of men and women wouldn't intervene if a friend was beating up his girlfriend.

"Women are used to being beaten up and defending their aggressors... so it's better not to intervene," said one of the Bolivian men who was interviewed.

The report also address homophobia: most of the interviewees said lesbians shouldn't be open about their sexual orientation and that people born with 'male genitals' shouldn't dress as women.

The study also suggests that controlling a couple's social media; being jealous; telling the girlfriend what clothes to wear, and reproducing economic dependence conditions are normal in heterosexual relationships.

Ruiz said the results are "alarming" and promoted by Latin America's machista culture, which has now become normalized for younger generations.

Two out of three people surveyed said they believed it is up to government to combat violence against women.

"The urgent challenge is generation consciousness about the fact that the same youngsters can play a key role in transforming the system of beliefs and gender norms that feed masculine violence," the report concludes.