Forms and Levels of Intimate Partner Violence Among Rural Women in Cañaveral (Pedernales, Manabí)

Abstract

The present study delves into the forms and levels of intimate partner violence against women in rural areas, focusing on the community of “Cañaveral” in the Pedernales canton of the Manabí province, Ecuador. The objective is to explore these manifestations and provide a deeper understanding of this phenomenon in order to contribute to the implementation of effective intervention strategies. To this end, a mixed-method approach was adopted, with a non-experimental, cross-sectional design and a sample consisting of 65 women over the age of 18, using the Dating Violence Questionnaire and a sociodemographic survey. The results revealed a high incidence of different types of intimate partner violence directed against the women in the study, with physical violence being the most prevalent (60%), followed by economic (22%), psychological (15%), and sexual (21%) violence. These forms of violence are sustained by factors such as economic dependence (55%) and fear of retaliation (21%). These findings indicate that this issue should be considered a critical public health and social concern, exacerbated by conditions that expose victims to multiple forms of vulnerability, emphasizing the need for comprehensive and culturally appropriate interventions that address structural factors and provide emotional, social, and economic support to the victims