Sexual violence in Latin America and the Caribbean: a desk review

This review highlights a number of key factors associated with sexual violence in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region at macro-social, community, relationship and individual levels. The paper states that high levels of violence are common in LAC settings where internal conflicts have taken place. However, the region has gained international recognition for progress made in legal reforms that addresses violence against women, though enforcement of laws is often weak and actions remain unsustainable.

Moreover, the paper finds strong association between sexual violence in LAC region on the one hand and the following factors on the other hand:

• the lack of support for women’s right to sexual autonomy
• the lack of support for victims of sexual violence 
• the dynamics of unequal control and power between sexual partners
• witnessing and experiencing violence in childhood.
  

Correspondingly, the authors suggest a number of critical recommendations:

• raising awareness of sexual violence as a public health problem and a violation of human rights
• focusing on implementing and monitoring already established legal and policy frameworks in the region
• ensuring that strategies related to primary prevention are undertaken by governments, which are obligated by international agreements to address sexual violence issues
• promoting equitable gender relationships as way of changing social norms and individual behaviours that support or tolerate violence against women
• improving the health sector response to victims of sexual violence through strengthening the capacity of health care organisations to respond to sexual violence
• conducting operational research and programme evaluations to increase knowledge about how to design effective policies to prevent and respond to sexual violence.