Home » ‘Andrea’ tells her story as a survivor of violence to encourage complaints

‘Andrea’ tells her story as a survivor of violence to encourage complaints

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‘Andrea’ tells her story as a survivor of violence to encourage complaints

‘Andrea’, a 29-year-old victim of gender violence promoted by her ex-boyfriend, tells her story to motivate more young people not to silence the violence and to denounce it. Photo Sandra Altafulla / El Mercurio


“Maybe the marks from the blows on my face will fade over time, but my mental and psychological health will always be affected,” says Andrea, victim of physical violence by his ex-partner.

Six months ago together they were leaving a place of entertainment on Calle Larga, in the Historic Center of Cuenca. She told her boyfriend that a man groped her, but instead of getting help from her, they started an argument. “Said I was to blamefor which he ended up hitting me until he reached the car where the aggression continued,” he says in an interview conducted this Wednesday, April 26, 2023.

This is the story of ‘Andrea’, 29 years old, a victim of gender violence promoted by her ex-boyfriend and who is looking for motivate more young people not to silence violence and to denounce.

Start of the legal process

The complaint was formalized and his case is under investigation. The legal actions that he filed against her ex-partner, he assures, are the final step for get out of that picture of violence.

First he had to work on the psychological part, because healing took time, in addition to heal the wounds that the blows left him.

In Ecuador 65 out of 100 women have experienced some form of violence throughout their lives, according to the second national survey on violence against women carried out by the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INEC), in 2019.

According to this study, 8 out of 10 women are victims of violence in Azuay, province with the highest prevalence of the country followed by Morona Santiago.

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The figures are worrying when the average in the country is 7 out of 10. But there are those who already raise their voices and denounce their attacker.

Andrea’s story

After eight months of relationship ‘Andrea’ tells her story and he does it without hesitation.

“I fail to understand how a person can change so much in a matter of days or months. At first it was all love, then the abuse began, insultsuntil I received blows,” he said.

He indicated that he experienced the worst last year, in November, when the discussion on Long Street.

When she was transferred to the car and received blows, another woman was a victim. “She tried to help me, but he ran over her. She had leg injuries. (He) framed me and I don’t even know how to drive.”

After filing the complaint received the help ticket. He affirms that he will continue with the legal process until it is completed.

With her story ‘Andrea’ wants motivate more women to speak and denounce.

“We are not alone. Let’s not let violence get worse and end in death. Let’s talk, count and unite.”

‘Andrea’, victim of violence

Ana Murillo, promoter of the group ‘Women against Violence Towards Women’ on the social network Facebook, points out that denouncing is always a process that requires accompaniment.

“Every woman who decides to break the silence needs to have friends, because they are exhausting judicial processesre-victimizers, the process also has to end,” he explained.

What influences when reporting

In Ecuador, the highest rate of violence is found in the upper stratum: that, out of fear, shame, thinking what it will say, the victims do not ask for help or report it.

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This was pointed out by the psychologist Rita Mendieta, a specialist in gender issues, who explains that violence is also hidden in the rural sector due to ignorance, culture or because they did not normalize.

“It normalizes and they don’t ask for help, even less report it or think that this should not be accepted under any situation.”

He added that gender violence is surrounded by many myths that maintain and justify it.

He gave a clear example: “That the things of a couple are something private, so this violence is something intimate in which we should not interfere, or that the abusers are mentally ill or have addiction problems.”

He said that “although some have psychopathologies, the vast majority are healthy children of the patriarchy who feel entitled to use violence to maintain the situation of dominance over their partner.”

dating without violence

Several campaigns to ensure that there is a culture of denunciation are promoted in the city and the province, one of these is the recent ‘Dating without Violence’ promoted by the Council for the Protection of Rights.

This campaign seeks to make known to young people and students from different institutions the positive message within a couple relationship to avoid physical, psychological or sexual violence.

Fabian León, executive secretary of the Council for the Protection of Rights, stated that “dating relationships do not have to be violent. It is better to live a healthy relationship, attached to respect.

This is the message that is promoted within the ‘Dating without violence’ campaign in educational institutions, “but that does not prevent it from reaching more young people, not just adolescents”.

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Other institutions also have special programs to combat gender violence and provide support to victims throughout the process, and even when making a complaint.

How to report gender violence

The Prosecutor’s Office enabled a space on the website for virtual complaints, here is a guide to do it:

  • Fill out and send the virtual complaint form with the information of the alleged criminal act of violence against women and members of the family nucleus.
  • Verify receipt of the email with the registration form for the report of violence against women and members of the family nucleus.
  • Verify the receipt of the email with the news of the crime (NDD) and the information of the Prosecutor’s Office that will investigate the case. (YO)

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