MEASURING THE SHADOW PANDEMIC:

VIOLENCE AGAINSTWOMEN DURING
COUNTRY REPORT: COLOMBIAEXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The survey conducted in Colombia of morethan 1,200 women between August and September 2021 shows that violence against
women (VAW) is pervasive throughout thecountry, with 6 in 10 women (63%) reportingthat they or someone they know has experienced at least one form of VAW (including
physical violence, denial of basic needs, sexual
harassment, forced isolation or verbal abuse).
COVID-19 has amplified existing challenges
for women. One in five women (20%) reported
that COVID-19 has increased household conflict and 2 in 5 (43%) believed that domestic
abuse has become more common. Congruently, the downstream impacts of COVID-19
vary in type and severity based on pre-existing

factors, including socioeconomic status andvulnerability to other stressors. This researchdelves into the relationships between measures of VAW and demographic, behaviouraland socioeconomic factors.
This study found that women’s baseline feelings of safety in Colombia, whether it was
inside or outside of their households, directly
affected their mental and emotional well-being. Factors related to these feelings included
external stressors, such as food insecurity, thefrequency of conflict and experiences of VAW,
stood out as having a significant impact not
only on women’s perceptions of safety but
also on their well-being overall.

2

1. INTRODUCTION
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, 33.3% of Colombian women aged 15–49 had experienced
physical violence and/or sexual violence froman intimate partner at least once in their lifetime1 – higher than the global estimated average of 27%, which is also the average for Latin
America.2
Since the pandemic began, rapid gender assessments (RGAs) conducted by UN Women
using administrative data from police, VAW
hotlines and other service-providers have suggested that the COVID-19 pandemic has intensified some of the existing forms of VAW.3
Measures implemented to limit the spread of
the pandemic, such as lockdowns and curfews,
have also impacted VAW risk factors, especiallyfor women and girls who faced multiple formsof discrimination.
Within this context, UN Women commissioned Ipsos to conduct an RGA survey on theimpact of COVID-19 on women’s well-being
and safety in 13 countries across all regions. In
adapting the survey methodology to be feasible in the COVID-19 context, proxy measureson experiences of VAW were used to collectdata on sensitive topics, to reduce the risks forthe respondents. Thus, these findings may not
be directly comparable to other studies conducted before the pandemic.

In order to have reliable data collected in linewith methodological, safety and ethical standards, and without putting women at greater
distress and risk of violence, it was critical toinform respondents about where policies andprogrammes to orient victims of VAW whereavailable, and in this way respond to the UN’ssystem-wide efforts to scale up actions to address VAW in the context of COVID-19.
This report details the findings of the survey inColombia, which was conducted between 18
August and 24 September 2021. Respondents
included women aged 18 and older who hadaccess to a mobile phone – estimated to be
79% of the total population of women in Colombia in 2020.4 The total number of completed interviews was 1,209.
In the unique case of Colombia, a series of direct questions about physical violence in thehousehold were asked based on previous experiences with conducting research of this nature remotely. Therefore, not all of the questions are comparable with the results of theother countries that participated in this study.

1

Bott, S, Guedes, A, Ruiz-Celis, AP, and Mendoza, JA. 2016. “Intimate partner violence in the Americas: A systematic review andreanalysis of national prevalence estimates. Based on data from: Asociación Probienestar de la Familia Colombiana, Profamilia,
Encuesta Nacional de Demografía y Salud 2015.” Bogota: Profamilia.
2 World Health Organization. N.D. Global Database on Violence Against Women.
3 UN Women. 2020. COVID-19 and Ending Violence against Women and Girls.
4 GSMA. 2017. Country Overview: Colombia

Measuring the shadow pandemic:
Violence against women during COVID-19 in Colombia

3KEY FINDINGS
63%
of women said
that they or other
women they know
have experienced aform of violence.

42%

40%

33%

Verbal Abuse

DeniedBasic Needs

Sexual Abuse

21%

11%

of women feel unsafe intheir homes.

said this has gotten worse as a resultof the COVID-19 pandemic.

15%

20%

of women live in households withconflict among adults at least weekly.

said conflict between adults has
become more frequent as a result of
the COVID-19 pandemic.

43%
of women think that the experience of
verbal or physical abuse at the hands ofa partner is common for women in theircommunity.

43%
said this has gotten worse as a resultof the COVID-19 pandemic.

43%

23%

of women think that physical harm,abuse and harassment are a problem
for women in their community.

of women think physical harm, abuse,and harassment has gotten worse since
the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

60% walking alone at night.
of women feel unsafe

37% walking alone during the day.
of women feel unsafe

36%
of women think that it iscommon for women to
be harassed in public.

4

2. EXPERIENCES OF VIOLENCEAGAINST WOMEN
2.1. Direct measures of physicalpartner violence
In the case of Colombia, a series of direct questions about physical violence by an intimate
partner were asked, based on previous experience with conducting research of this nature
remotely. In Colombia, women were asked

whether a partner had been physically abusive
to them in the past 12 months,5 and 12% said
this had happened at least once. Women inhouseholds with frequent conflict and those
who had felt unsafe in their home in the past
six months were more than twice as likely to
say that they had experienced physical violence at the hands of their partner in the past
12 months.

FIGURE 1

Prevalence of physical violence at hands of partner in the past 12 months
by frequency of household conflictby frequency of household conflict

All women

1%4% 8%Among womenfrom households withconflict between adults

4% 11%

Among womenfrom households with
infrequent conflict
between adults

3% 9%

Often

5

87%

18%

67%

88%

A few times

RarelyNever

Due to the need for consistency across contexts, questionnaire demographics did not include adequate options that would allow
this question to be filtered to only those that had been in an intimate partner relationship. Therefore, it was asked of all womenwith an option provided for “not applicable” in cases where women did not feel the question was relevant to them. However, it isalso possible that women used the “not applicable” response for other reasons (for instance, if they were uncomfortable and did
not want to answer the question), therefore these answers are shown along with the two-thirds (67%) of women who indicatedthat the question was applicable to them by answering it directly. Further information on the marital status of women who
answered this question are included in the methods section of this report.

Measuring the shadow pandemic:
Violence against women during COVID-19 in Colombia

5bylocation
location(urban(urbanversus
versusrural)
By
rural)All women 1%4% 8%

Among womenin urban areas

1% 3% 7%

Among womenin rural areas

2% 5% 10%

Often

87%

89%

83%

A few times

RarelyNever

Note: Due to rounding in calculations, the proportion of ‘all women’ who reported some frequency of conflict adds up to 13%.

Of the 12% of women who said they had experienced physical violence at the hands ofa partner in the past 12 months, the majority(60%) said it happened rarely. About a third(30%) said it happened a few times over the
past 12 months, and 9% said it happened often. Women in rural areas were more likely
than those in urban areas to say they had experienced physical violence at the hands oftheir partner in the past 12 months (17% compared to 11%, respectively). Women who said
they were separated or divorced were more
likely than those currently living with a partner
to have experienced physical abuse in the past
12 months (21% compared to 11%, respectively).
Among women who said they experienced
physical violence at the hands of their partnerin the past 12 months, 6 in 10 (59%) said thishad happened before the onset of COVID-19
and the violence continued during the pandemic (indicating “both before and after COVID-19”), while 41% said it has only happened
since the start of the pandemic. Women werealso split on how this has changed as a resultof COVID-19, with a quarter of respondents(25%) saying physical partner violence has increased as a result of COVID-19, 33% saying it

has decreased, and 41% saying it has stayed
the same.
Women who said they had experienced physical violence at the hands of a partner in thepast 12 months were far more likely than those
who did not to cite issues of verbal, physical or
substance abuse as reasons why they felt unsafe in their home. For instance, 31% of women
who experienced physical violence by a partnerand felt unsafe at home said the reason was
substance abuse, compared to 7% of women
who had not experienced physical violence bya partner in the past 12 months.
Additionally, of the 51% of women who had
experienced physical abuse by a partner inthe past 12 months, 48% said they had been
hurt, and 29% said other women had been
hurt (compared to 6%, 12%, and 13%, of women
who felt unsafe in their home but had not experienced physical violence at the hands of apartner in the past 12 months). Nearly threequarters of women (73%) who felt unsafe athome and experienced physical violence at thehands of a partner in the past 12 months said
that they felt unsafe as a result of verbal abusein their home, compared to 17% among women who did not feel unsafe at home.

6

FIGURE 2

Impact of COVID-19 on experience of physical violence at hands of partner in the past 12 months
Among 8% of women who experienced physical violenceat the hands of a partner in the past 12 months
Timeframe of experience

Both before
and after
COVID-19
59%

Only after
COVID-19
41%

2.2. Proxy measures of violenceagainst women in the community
Besides the direct questions detailed in theprevious section, due to the remote nature ofthis survey, primarily indirect questions werealso asked as proxy indicators of VAW, meaning it is not possible to distinguish respondent experiences from those of other womenin their community or to know whether thisexperience occurred within or outside of thehousehold. The data presented in this section,
while it should not be interpreted as prevalence data, nevertheless provides critical information on the impact of COVID-19 on women’s
perception of well-being and safety.
Nearly two-thirds of women (62%) reported
having experienced or knowing someone who
had experienced VAW (including physicalviolence, denial of basic needs, sexual harassment, forced isolation or verbal abuse) in their
lifetime, which aligns with the 62% of women
who said that violence, abuse and the harassment of women are a problem in their community. Of the women who said that violence,

Change as a result of COVID-19

Increased
25%

Decreased
33%

Stayedthe same41%

abuse and harassment of women are a problem in their community, 70% reported having
experienced or knowing someone who had
experienced VAW.
Verbal abuse (42%) and denial of basic needs(40%) were the most commonly reported
forms of VAW in a woman’s lifetime. However,when looking at VAW experienced exclusively
since the onset of COVID-19, denial of basic
needs (25%) and isolation (19%) were the mostcommonly reported.6 Women who felt unsafe
at home were most likely to report experiencing or knowing someone who had experienced
VAW. Specifically, they were more than twice
as likely as those that did not feel unsafe athome to report the denial of basic needs and
50% more likely to report forced isolation. Thissuggests that the impacts of the COVID-19
pandemic have been particularly acute forwomen already experiencing safety issues inboth private and public spaces, although theexperience and knowledge of VAW is consistently higher for woman that experienced
safety issues at home.

6 Cognitive testing of this question revealed that for many women, forced isolation and denial of basic needs were influenced by
COVID-19-related measures and economic stress. The results from this study suggest that women may bear a disproportionate
burden when it comes to COVID-19 effects; however, it is important to keep the overall context in mind when interpreting study
results.

Measuring the shadow pandemic:
Violence against women during COVID-19 in Colombia

7

FIGURE 3

Experience or knowledge of specific forms of VAW, since COVID-19 and over lifetime
61%

42%



47%

18%

All women30%

All women

19%Forcedisolation

1%

22%



All women

1%

Sexualharassment

10%





59%



Among women who felt
unsafe at home



35%

55%

29%



Among women who felt
unsafe walking alone



45%



Among women who felt
unsafe at home





66%

64%

63%



41%

39%

Among women who felt
unsafe walking alone30%

Among women who felt
unsafe at home

47%







37%







33%

59%

13%





1%
69%

52%

Among women who felt
unsafe at home

41%



58%

17%





25%

1%
40%

42%



24%







53%

Among women who felt
unsafe walking alone

Denial of
basic
needs





1%
59%





15%





Verbalabuse

16%

Among women who felt
unsafe walking alone



58%

58%





All women

39%



14%









10%

29%



Physicalviolence







1%
70%

42%





All women

No experience or knowledge

Among women who felt
unsafe walking alone

Experience or knowledge
in lifetime

Among women who felt
unsafe at homeExperience or knowledge
exclusively since COVID-19

Note: “Don’t know” responses comprised 1% or less of total responses in each category

8

FIGURE 4

Experience or knowledge of VAW, by type, according to whether or not respondents experienced
physical partner violence in past 12 months


68%

77%

9%

24%






32%

54%

62%





Among women who experienced physicalpartner violence in the past 12 months

Forcedisolation

27%




52%

46%

Among womenthat did not

71%

19%







Among women who experienced physicalpartner violence in the past 12 months

Sexualharassment

19%




50%

49%

Among women who experienced physicalpartner violence in the past 12 months

No experience or knowledge

Among womenthat did not

69%



9%



Experience or knowledge
in lifetime

30%

Among womenthat did not

24%



28%



Among women who experienced physicalpartner violence in the past 12 months

45%

38%



12%



36%



64%



81%

Among womenthat did not



32%




19%

Denial of
basic
needs

23%



Among women who experienced physicalpartner violence in the past 12 months

Verbalabuse



Physical
abuse





32%



Among womenthat did notExperience or knowledge
exclusively since COVID-19

Measuring the shadow pandemic:
Violence against women during COVID-19 in Colombia

9In addition to personal experience of safetyissues in public and private spaces having asignificant relationship with knowledge orexperience of VAW, women who said they
had experienced physical partner violence inthe past 12 months were also more likely than
women who did not to have experiences orknowledge of any form of VAW. They werealso significantly more likely to have experienced these exclusively since the onset of the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Women of different age groups reported different experiences: while younger women(aged 18–29) were more likely to experience orknow a woman who has experienced several
types of VAW in their lifetime, older women(aged 60 and over) were significantly less likely to experience it or know someone who has.
This includes physical violence (37% among
women aged 18–29, compared to 30% among
women aged 30–59, and 17% among women
aged 60+), verbal abuse (48%, among women
aged 18–29, compared to 43% among women
aged 30–59, and 31% among women aged60+), and sexual harassment (45% among
women aged 18–29, compared to 34% among
women aged 30–59, and 13% of women aged60+). This could indicate that younger womenin Colombia are more at-risk, or it could suggest that older women are less comfortablespeaking about VAW generally. There were no
significant differences in experience or knowledge between age groups for VAW that occurred exclusively since the onset of COVID-19.
Women who generated income for theirhousehold were also more likely to have experienced VAW or to know another woman who
had experienced it in her lifetime (66%, compared to 57% among women who did not generate income). In particular, women income

earners were more likely than women who
did not earn an income to have experienced or
know a woman who has experienced physicalviolence, whether it was in their lifetime (34compared to 24%, respectively) or exclusively
since the onset of COVID-19 (12 compared to
8%, respectively). They were also more likely
than women who did not generate income tohave knowledge or experience of verbal abuse(45 compared to 38%) or sexual harassment(36 compared to 29%) in their lifetime. In addition, they were more likely to have knowledge
or experience of forced isolation, although thiswas exclusively since the onset of COVID-19 (22compared to 16%).
Women who said they were living with a disability were also more likely than those without a disability to have experienced or know awoman who has experienced VAW in her lifetime (67 compared to 60%) – a difference thatappears to be driven by their lifetime experiences rather than since the onset of COVID-19.
In particular, women who said they were livingwith a disability were more likely than theirpeers to have experienced or know a woman
who has experienced a denial of basic needs
in her lifetime (45 compared to 38% of women
who said they do not have a disability).
Women who experienced a decrease in household income over the past year were significantly more likely to report experiences withor knowledge of resource restrictions since
the start of the pandemic (28%) compared to
women with no change in income (14%). Additionally, women who said that they or someone they know had experienced a form of VAW
were more likely to be food insecure compared
to women who did not, indicating that structural and economic factors could be associatedwith violence against women.

103. FEELINGS OF SAFETY*.3.1. Personal safety inside the homeexacerbated already existing household tensions. Women who served as full-time caregivers were those least likely to report household
conflicts, with 4 in 10 (42%) saying that there
was never conflict between adults in theirhousehold, while those that said they had experienced physical abuse at the hands of theirpartner in the past year were four times more
likely to say they had frequent conflict in theirhouseholds (40%, compared to 10% among
women who had not experienced partner
physical abuse in the past 12 months).

Shifting focus to safety within the household,
15% of women reported that household conflicts over the past six months happened atleast weekly, and 20% said that conflict has
become more frequent since the onset of COVID-19. Women who reported frequent conflictwithin their household were more than threetimes as likely as those who did not experience frequent conflicts to report that the frequency has increased as a result of COVID-19,
suggesting that stress from the pandemic has
FIGURE 5

Percentage of women who felt unsafe, by their exposure to or knowledge of VAW in
their lifetime

All women

20%

Among women fromhouseholds withfrequent conflict
between adults
Among women fromhouseholds with
infrequent conflict
between adults
More frequent

51%

50%

38%

14%

54%

About the same

3%

26%

11% 1%

29%

Less frequent

3%

Don’t know

Note: “Don’t know” responses in the dark grey bars comprised 3% or less of total responses in each category

More than 1 in 5 (21%) women said they havefelt unsafe in their household in the last six
months. Those who experienced frequent conflict (at least weekly) between adults in thehousehold were twice as likely as those with*

infrequent conflict to have felt unsafe in theirhomes (34%, compared to 16% among women
who said they infrequently have household
conflicts).

Note: Indicators on feelings of safety refer to their own reported personal feelings on walking alone, safety at home, etc. Indicatorson perception of VAW refer to their understanding of the VAW situation (domestic violence, sexual harassment, etc.) in the area
where they live.

Measuring the shadow pandemic:
Violence against women during COVID-19 in Colombia

11Half of women (50%) who said they had experienced physical abuse at the hands of theirpartner in the past year said they had felt unsafe in their homes in the past six months.
Feelings of unsafety at home was only reported by 18% of women who had never experienced partner physical violence. Additionally,
women who said they or another woman theyknow had experienced physical violence or verbal abuse were significantly more likely thanthose who did not to have felt unsafe at home
(30% compared to 17% for physical violence, respectively and 31% compared to 13% for verbal
abuse, respectively). This indicates that women are likely including their own experiences
when reporting on VAW.
Women in rural areas (25%) were more likely
than those in urban areas (19%) to have felt
unsafe in their homes in the past six months.
Women who generated an income for theirhousehold were also more likely to feel unsafe
in their homes compared to those who did not(23%, compared to 17%). Women who said they
have felt unsafe in their home in the past six
months were nearly twice as likely as those
who felt safe to be food insecure, whether it
was moderately or severely, indicating that
economic circumstances have a substantial
impact on VAW.
For 1 in 10 women (11%), the COVID-19 pandemic has made things worse in terms of how safe
they feel in their home. Among women who
said they already felt unsafe this number morethan doubles to 26%, and for those who haveexperienced partner physical violence themselves in the last 12 months it is 23%, reinforcing the point that the COVID-19 pandemic may
have intensified existing vulnerabilities andsafety issues for women in Colombia.

FIGURE 6

Women’s feelings of safety in the household, by frequency of household conflict
Felt unsafe at home

Felt less safe at home since
the onset of COVID-19

35%
18%

18%

16%

Frequent household conflict

10%

Occasional household conflict

When asked why they have felt unsafe in theirhomes, women most commonly cited insecure
shelters (48%) and the inability to communicate or reach out for help (44%). Women aged
40–49 and those with a disability were themost likely to report an insecure shelter as areason why they felt unsafe (69% and 58%, respectively) while women who live with a partner were the least likely to report this reason(57%). Employed women were those most likely

9%

No household conflict(37%) to report living with people they cannot
trust as a reason why they feel unsafe, while
full-time caregivers were least likely (16%).
Younger women aged 18–29 were more likely
to say there was verbal abuse in their home
(44%, compared to 25% of women aged 30 andolder) as well as to say that they felt unsafe
because other women in the household havebeen hurt (35%, compared to 14% of women
aged 30 and older).

12

FIGURE 7

Reasons for women feeling unsafe in their homes (among the 21% who reported feeling unsafe)
My shelter was insecure(e.g., there are no locks)

48%

I was unable to communicate/reach out for help

44%

There was verbal abuse in my household

30%

I was living with people I could not trust29%

I had a serious medical condition or disability and felt vulnerable

25%

Other adults in the household had hurt me

19%

Other women in the household had been hurt

19%

There was physical violence in my household

18%

There was substance abuse (e.g., alcohol or drugs) in the household

13%Children in the household had been hurt

4%

Another reason

18%

Indicates reasons most closely tied to violence

3.2. Personal safety in public spaces
When out in their communities, the majorityof women said they feel safe walking aroundthe areas where they live during the day (63%),
but this drops by nearly half to 36% when
asked the same question about walking alone
at night. More than half (52%) of women said
they feel less safe at night since the start of
COVID-19. Women who experienced VAW or
knew someone who had experienced VAW
were significantly more likely to feel unsafe
walking alone, whether during the day (41%) orat night (66%), and the majority (56%) of these
women have felt even less safe since the onset
of COVID-19.

Feelings of safety also differed across urban
and rural areas. Women who lived in urban
areas were significantly more likely to feelunsafe walking alone (whether during the
day or at night) compared to those who lived
in rural areas. Those in urban areas were also
more likely to feel less safe as a result of the
COVID-19 pandemic, while women in rural areas were more likely to say they have felt more
safe since the onset of COVID-19 (24%, compared to 15% in urban areas), suggesting thatgeography may have a significant impact on
women’s safety in public spaces as it relates to
COVID-19 in Colombia.

Measuring the shadow pandemic:
Violence against women during COVID-19 in Colombia

13

FIGURE 8

Women’s feelings of safety while out in public, by location (urban and rural)
Felt unsafe walking
alone during the day

Felt unsafe walking
alone at night

Felt less safe since theonset of COVID-19

64%
50%

54%
46%

39%
30%

Urban

Rural

Urban

Rural

Urban

Rural

4. PERCEPTIONS OF
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
4.1. Women’s perceived safety inside
the home
When considering the broader community,
43% of women said they think that the experience of verbal or physical abuse at the handsof a partner is common for women. Women
who were unemployed at the time of the survey were significantly more likely to think thiswas common compared to full-time caregivers(47% compared to 38%, respectively).

Similar to patterns around feelings of safety inpublic, personal experience appears to dictate
perceptions. Out of women who perceived violence, abuse or harassment to be a problem intheir community 55% said that it is common
for women to experience physical and verbal
abuse at the hands of a partner. This increases
even further, to 60% among women who reported having felt personally unsafe in theirhome and to 65% among those who had experienced physical violence at the hands of apartner in the past year.

14

FIGURE 9

Perceptions of partner abuse, by experience of safety

All womenAmong women who
thought violence, abuse, orharassment is a problem
in their community

22%

21%

29%

27%

26%

28%

27%

Among women who
had felt unsafe intheir home

39%

Among women who
experienced physical violenceat the hands of a partnerin the past 12 months

41%

24%

UncommonVery uncommon

Very common

Common

21%

17%

17%

2%

18%

22%

1%

17% 1%

Don’t know

Note: “Don’t know” responses in the dark grey bars comprised 2% or less of total responses in each category

Women who believed that partner abuse wascommon in their communities were nearly
three times more likely than those who did not
to report that a spouse had pushed, thrownsomething, punched or slapped them at leasta few times in the past 12 months (8% compared to 3%, respectively). They were also nearly twice as likely as those that thought partner
abuse was uncommon to have felt unsafe intheir home in the past six months (29% compared to 15%, respectively). These data points
suggest that women may be including theirown experiences when reporting on the experiences of women in their community. This
also bolsters the evidence-based theory that
VAW crosses both public and private spaces,with women who reported safety incidents
happening within their homes being more
likely to think that abuse is common in thecommunity overall.
Women who view partner abuse as very common were also more likely to be food insecurethan those who did not, whether it was moderately or severely, stressing the significance ofeconomic security for women’s broader senseof safety as well.

Nearly half of women (43%) said the situation
for women experiencing partner abuse has
gotten worse since the start of the pandemic.
Women who lived in urban areas (45%), haveat least a college degree (57%), or had children
in the household (48%) were significantly more
likely than average to believe that COVID-19
has made partner abuse worse. More than half(56%) of women who experienced physical violence at the hands of a partner in the past year
said that they think partner abuse generally
for women has become worse since the onset
of COVID-19, compared to 41% of those who
did not experience such violence. Meanwhile,
25% of these women said their own experience with physical violence at the hands of apartner had increased as a result of COVID-19.
Additionally, women who have experienced or
know another woman who has experienced
physical or verbal abuse were also more likely
than those who have not to perceive partner
abuse as common in their community and tobelieve that COVID-19 has made the situationof partner abuse worse.

Measuring the shadow pandemic:
Violence against women during COVID-19 in Colombia

15

FIGURE 10

Perceptions of partner violence, by exposure to VAW in a lifetime
Thought abuse at the hands ofa partner is common

59%

Thought abuse at the hands of apartner has gotten worse since
the onset of COVID-19

57%
47%
36%

Yes

No

Woman or someone
they know has experienced
physical abuse in lifetime

42%

48%
40%

33%

Yes

No

Woman or someone
they know has experienced
verbal abuse in lifetime

Two-thirds of women (64%) said they believethat women would seek out help if they experienced verbal or physical abuse at the hands ofa partner, slightly less than those who believed
help would be sought for violence outside thehome. Younger women (aged 18–39) were significantly less likely than their older counterparts (40 and older) to say that women would
seek help (58%, compared to 69%). Womenin rural areas and those with a high school
education or less were more likely than theircounterparts to say that women experiencing
abuse at the hands of a partner would seek
help (71% and 72%, respectively), as were fulltime caregivers (74%). Women who said theyor another woman they know had experienced
physical violence or verbal abuse were also far
less likely than their counterparts to say women would seek support (52–54%, comparedto 69–71% of women who did not experienceor know anyone who had experienced thesetypes of VAW). Nevertheless, women who hadthemselves experienced physical abuse at thehands of a partner in the past 12 months wereequally as likely as those who had not to saythat a woman who was abused by her partner
would reach out for help.

Yes

No

Woman or someone
they know has experienced
physical abuse in lifetime

Yes

No

Woman or someone
they know has experienced
verbal abuse in lifetime

Women were most likely to say they believe
survivors would seek help from family (36%)
as the primary source of support in the eventof partner abuse. Other popular response interms of where women would seeking support was women’s shelters, NGOs or centres(24%), particularly among women who said
they or another woman they know had experienced physical violence (30%) comparedto those who did not (21%). Those who haveexperienced physical violence themselves at
the hands of a partner in the past year werealso more likely than those who did not tosay survivors would primarily seek help fromwomen’s shelters, NGOs or centres (29%, compared to 22%) as well as community leaders(8%, compared to 3%). Moreover, women withdisabilities were more likely to approach community leaders first (6%, compared to 2%), andless likely to primarily go to family (24%, compared to 40% of women without disabilities).
This suggests that community infrastructure
may be well-suited to connect victims of VAW
to the resources they need. Only 1 in 5 respondents (21%) said women in this situation would
first go to the police—indicating that domestic
violence may be underreported to authorities.

16

4.2. Perceptions of violence against
women in the community
When asked about violence, abuse and harassment of women in their community, almost
half of women (43%) said they believe it is atleast somewhat of problem and an additional
18% said it is a little bit of a problem.
Violence, abuse and harassment of women in
the community was more likely to be perceived

as a problem by women who themselves had
experienced violence. Nearly three quarters of
women (74%) who felt unsafe walking alone
in their community (whether it was during the
day or at night) and 80% of those who experienced physical partner violence in the past
12 months perceived the violence, abuse andharassment of women as a problem in theircommunities.

FIGURE 11

Extent to which violence, abuse or harassment of women is a problem in the community

All womenAmong those who
felt unsafe walking
around alone

Among those
who felt unsafe
in their homeAmong women who
experienced physicalpartner violence inthe past 12 months
A lot

15%

28%

22%

18%

34%

28%

32%

23%

Somewhat

35%

18%

17%

36%

A little bit

21%

Not at all

4%

24%

2%

21%

2%

18%

2%

Don’t know

Note: “Don’t know” responses in the dark grey bars comprised 3% or less of total responses in each category

Women who were full-time caregivers andthose who did not participate in income-generating activities were significantly less likely
than other women to perceive violence, abuseand harassment of women as a problem intheir community – 43% of caregivers and 41%
of non-income-earning women said that violence, abuse and harassment are not a prob-

lem at all, compared to 35% of all women. This
may indicate that these groups of women
have less exposure to these problems within
their community. Conversely, women who
generated an income were significantly more
likely to think that violence, abuse and the harassment of women in their communities is aproblem (67%).

Measuring the shadow pandemic:
Violence against women during COVID-19 in Colombia

17Nearly a quarter of women (23%) said they
believe that violence, abuse and the harassment of women has increased in their community since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and more than half (58%) reported nochange as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Similar to perceptions of the issue overall,
women who have experienced safety issues
and/or violence were especially likely to thinkthat violence, abuse and the harassment of
women have increased: 35% of women who
felt unsafe walking alone (during the day or atnight), 30% of women who felt unsafe in theirhomes, and 35% of women who have experienced physical partner violence in the past 12
months said this issue has worsened since theonset of COVID-19. Women in rural areas (18%)
and those with disabilities (17%) were significantly more likely than the average to thinkthat the violence, abuse and harassment of
women in their communities has decreased
since the start of the pandemic, compared to
13% of women overall.

4.3. Women’s perceived safety inpublic spaces
About a third of women in Colombia (36%)
said they believe it is common for women
to experience harassment and safety issues
when alone in public spaces at night. Women
who lived in urban areas were significantly
more likely to think safety issues for womenin public spaces are common (38%) comparedto those who lived in rural areas (31%). Unemployed women also perceived safety issues
and harassment in public as more common(47%) compared to employed women (37%) or
full-time caregivers (32%).
While 60% of women reported having felt
unsafe at night themselves, over half (53%)
of women who have felt unsafe when walking alone did not believe that harassment andsafety issues are common for women in theircommunity. This is less than the percentage ofwomen on average (63%) who do not believe
harassment and safety issues to be common
for women in their community. This finding
may indicate that many women who experience public safety issues in the community see
their experiences as anecdotal, leading to aperception that these issues are less common
than they are in reality.
Overall, about 1 in 3 women (27%) said safety atnight in their communities has gotten worse
since the onset of COVID-19. Divorced or separated women were significantly more likely tobelieve the pandemic has made the situation
worse (41%) compared to those living with apartner (27%), widowed (24%) or single (26%).
Women who have experienced VAW or know
someone that experienced VAW in their lifetime were more likely to believe harassment
and safety issues are common (41%) compared
to women who did not (27%). These women
were also more likely to report these safety issues have gotten worse since the onset of the
COVID-19 pandemic (30%) compared to women who did not have any experience or knowledge of someone who had experienced VAWin their lifetime (23%).

18

FIGURE 12

Perception of women’s safety in public at night, by experience or knowledge of VAW ina lifetime
Thought women experiencing safetyissues while out at night is common

Thought women experiencing safetyissues while out at night has gotten
worse since the onset of COVID-19

41%
27%

Yes

No

Three-quarters of women (75%) expected thatwomen experiencing harassment or abuse inpublic spaces would seek help, with one-third(34%) saying they would most likely first go
to police; more than a quarter (27%) reporting they would primarily seek support fromfamily; and 17% saying they would first access
women’s centres, groups or NGOs.
Women in rural areas were significantly more
likely to say that women experiencing safetyissues in public places would seek help (80%,compared to 73% in urban areas). They werealso more likely to report that they would seek
help primarily from women’s shelters (6%,compared to 2% in urban areas). And yet, lesswomen in rural areas said that access to basic
needs (such as food, shelter and clothing) was
available to women in their community (44%),compared to those in urban areas (53%).
While younger women aged 18–29 were lesslikely to say that women would seek help ifthey experienced harassment or abuse in public spaces (69%), particularly when compared
to women aged 60 and older (83%), they weremore likely to say that women experiencing

30%
23%

Yes

No

harassment or abuse in public would most
likely go to police first (39%, compared to 32%
of women aged 30 and older).
Women who had experienced or knew someone who had experienced VAW were significantly less likely than those that did not tobelieve that women would seek help generally(72%, compared to 79% of women who said
they do not have experience or knowledge
of VAW). In particular, they were less likely tobelieve that women would seek help primarily from the police (30%, compared to 40%,
respectively). This aligns with respondents’knowledge of legal support or help in reporting incidents to police, which is higher among
women who said they have not experienced
VAW or know someone who has (63% compared to 56% of women who have).
Safety issues that women face outside of thehousehold have not stopped them from engaging in public life, as women who had experienced VAW or know someone who has, or
those who had experienced feeling unsafe inpublic spaces themselves, were no more or lesslikely to have left the house alone in the past

Measuring the shadow pandemic:
Violence against women during COVID-19 in Colombia

19month. Three-quarters of women (74%) reported that they had left their house alone atleast once a week in the past month, and morethan one-third (35%) of women reported going out daily by themselves. Employed women were also significantly more likely to leave
their home alone (54%), particularly whencompared to full-time caregivers (14%). However, 1 in 10 women (11%) women said they had
not left their home alone in the past month, anumber that increases to 15% among women
who are full-time caregivers.

More than 7 in 10 women (72%) reported that
constraints related to the COVID-19 pandemic had limited their interactions with friends
and social groups. Within this group, women
who had experienced or know someone who
has experienced VAW were significantly more
likely to say that COVID-19 has limited theirinteractions with friends and social groups(75%, compared to 67% of women who hadn’t
experience VAW), as were women who havefelt unsafe in public (81%, compared to 65% of
those who have felt safe).

5. IMPACTS OF VIOLENCEAGAINST WOMENThis study indicates a strong relationshipbetween measures of VAW and changes inwomen’s behaviours and feelings well-being,suggesting that impressions and experiencesof safety (or lack thereof) may be a major factor in women’s mental and emotional health.
Women who said they had felt unsafe, whether it was in their home or in public spaces, weremore likely to report indicators of anxiety anddepression.
Women who had experienced or know someone who had experienced any form of VAW
were significantly more likely to report negative mental and emotional health outcomes.
More particularly, women who reported experiencing or knowing someone who experienced physical, verbal and/or sexual abuse
were more likely to report feeling down, depressed, or hopeless at least half of the timesince the onset of COVID-19 (38%, compared to
30% of those who did not). Moreover, women
who said they had faced physical violence at
the hands of a partner in the past 12 months
were significantly more likely than those who
had not to experience feeling down or depressed at least half the time since the onset
of COVID-19 (48%, compared to 30% of those
who had not experienced physical partner violence in the past 12 months). Women who experienced or knew someone who experienced
verbal abuse were more likely than those
who did not to have struggled with anxiety(43%, compared to 35% of those who did not).
Women who had experienced feeling unsafe,
whether it was in public spaces or particularlyin their home, were also more likely to exhibit
these signs of anxiety and depression compared to those who did not.

20

FIGURE 13

Measures of mental health, by feelings of safety
32%

Felt down, depressed or
hopeless at least half ofthe days since the startof COVID-19

54%
42%

38%

Not been able to stop or
control worrying at least
half of the days since thestart of COVID-19

54%
45%

27%

Had little interest or
pleasure in doing things
at least half of the days
since the start of COVID-19

All women

42%35%Felt unsafe at home

In addition to experiences of safety being
strongly associated with mental and emotional well-being, certain women were more likely
than their peers to report experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety at least half
the days since the onset of COVID-19. Examples include: women who experienced a loss of
income over the past year (37%, compared to
32% of those who experienced and increase income and 20% of those whose income did notchange), lived in rural areas (39%, compared to
31% in urban areas), and had lower educationlevels (47% among those with a primary education or less, compared to 15% among thosewith a college education).
Overall, 25% of women in Colombia said thatthe pandemic has had an exclusively negatively impact on their mental and emotional

Felt unsafe walking around alone

well-being. Women who reported having felt
unsafe at home were significantly more likely
than those who felt safe to have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic(33%, compared to 23%). Women who felt
unsafe at home were far less likely to say COVID-19 had no impact on their mental health(13%, compared to 32% of women who had not
felt unsafe), as were women who had experienced physical violence at the hands of theirpartner in the past 12 months (13%, compared
to 30% of those who did not). It is unclear fromthis data what forces are driving the positive
and negative impacts of COVID-19 for women
who have felt unsafe at home. This is an areathat warrants additional investigation.

Measuring the shadow pandemic:
Violence against women during COVID-19 in Colombia

21

FIGURE 14

Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, by feelings of safety

All womenAmong women
who felt unsafe
at home25%

33%

Among women who
felt unsafe walking
around alone

30%

Among women who
experienced physicalpartner violence inthe past 12 months

28%

COVID-19 has
had only negative
impacts

COVID-19 has had
both negative andpositive impacts

29%

18%

28%

26%

30%

28%

18%

30%

COVID-19 has
had only positive
impacts

29%

13%

21%

1%

13%

COVID-19 has
had no impact
at allNote: “Don’t know” responses in the dark grey bars comprised 1% or less of total responses in each category

In addition to the connections between safety
and mental and emotional well-being, food security (or lack thereof) is also associated withpoor mental health. Women who said they felt
symptoms of anxiety or depression on morethan half the days since the onset of COVID-19
were consistently more likely to be severely
food insecure, as were women who said the
COVID-19 pandemic had any negative impact
on their well-being.
When asked about the availability of mental
health services, just a third of women (33%)
said that these were available to women in
their community. Conversely, awareness of
medical services (65%), access to basic needs(50%) and legal support (59%) was much higher. This suggests that more could be done tohelp women access the mental health support
they need.
The impacts of violence against women in
public and private spheres was also observed
when analyzing women’s socialization andmovement patterns. The majority of women
who reported feeling unsafe, whether it wasoutside or inside the household, said the COVID-19 pandemic has limited their interactions with friends and social groups (81% and80%, respectively, compared to 64% and 70%
of women who did not feel unsafe). Additionally, nearly 1 in 3 women (29%) who felt unsafe
in their home reported that they or someone
they know had been forced to stay alone forlong periods of time or denied communication
with other people since the start of COVID-19.
Women who had experienced physical partner
violence in the past 12 months were no moreor less likely to leave the house alone whencompared to those who did not; however,they were slightly more likely to say that the
COVID-19 pandemic had not limited their interactions with friends and social groups (8%,compared to 4% among those who did notexperience physical partner abuse in the past
12 months).

22

6. RECOMMENDATIONS
The impacts of COVID-19 on VAW in Colombia
are significant. Women in Colombia encounter violence in public and in private spaces, atthe hands of strangers and by those closest tothem. With nearly half (49%) of women likely
experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity at the time of the study and two-thirds(67%) saying they had lost income, mostly due
to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is clear that external stressors that can increase the risk of
VAW are on the rise. This presents an opportunity to address factors that can reduce therisk of VAW, as well as to put more effective
methods of dealing with VAW into place.
Given the intersectionality of VAW, policy andprogrammatic interventions require tailoring
to the factors driving different experiences ofviolence. Not only does the type of responsethat is best suited to address VAW vary basedon the specific experiences of women, but theresources they seek out vary as well. This workstresses the importance of partnering with theexisting infrastructure that supports womenin vulnerable situations to empower communities with the full suite of resources they may
need to support women. Considering this, theresearch supports three recommendations:
1. Interventions that are meant toaddress VAW should consider how policy
interventions in other areas may alleviate
some of the root causes of VAW, including
through fully integrating VAW measuresin post-COVID-19 recovery plans as anopportunity to build back better.
This study has provided insights into some of
the factors that exacerbate risks of VAW in Colombia, particularly those related to economic
dependence, such as employment status, income fluctuations and food insecurity. Each ofthese substantive areas encompasses its own
policy domain, where programmatic interventions can be specifically tailored to move theneedle. However, to build longer-term solutions to address violence against women andgirls it is necessary to go beyond gender mainstreaming to put women at the centre of policy change and proposed solutions, particularlyin the case of COVID-19 recovery plans.
In addition to the integration of VAW measures in COVID-19 multisectoral recovery
plans and national policies and programmes,
it is essential that governments and authorities be engaged at all territorial levels within
the scope of their mandates. For instance, it isnecessary to ensure that local and regional authorities are equipped to make public spaces
safe for women and girls throughout the pandemic and beyond.
Comprehensive policies should include cohesive multistakeholder and cross-sectoral responses that make all parties accountable inending VAW. To that end, it is recommended
that efforts be undertaken to sensitize and engage the private sector using available global
guidance on how to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls, including forfemale employees who work from home during COVID-19 and may experience domestic violence. Women’s rights organizations should
also be included in the design and the monitoring of COVID-19 recovery plans. Throughout
this process, however, it is critical to consider
the impacts that interventions may have onparticular external stressors, such as intentional or accidental shifting of gender roles
and norms that could easily do more harmthan good if not carefully accounted for. Thisis addressed further in recommendation three.

Measuring the shadow pandemic:
Violence against women during COVID-19 in Colombia

232. Enhance the response and provision of
essential services by authorities and civilsociety and improve trust in order to boost
reporting and bolster women’s confidence
and feelings of safety.
The insights from this study show that women already have established trust within family and social groups, but more work needs tobe done at community and institutional levels.
In order to strengthen confidence in institutions among women survivors of violence, itis necessary to strengthen the response capacity of these institutions themselves, toguarantee timely and effective attention toacts of violence against women and girls. Efforts to enhance the availability, accessibility
and quality of survivor-based services shouldbe implemented across all sectors. Specific attention should be given to service-providers
who are front-line agents and initial contacts
for women to ensure they provide care in linewith globally accepted ethical standards andprotect the safety of survivors.
The research shows that women are more
likely to seek help for violence in public spaces
than they are for domestic violence. This holds
true for women who are experiencing frequent
conflict within their household – they are more
likely to rely on support from family and lesslikely to go to police. Such cases require thecareful placement of resources in more informal channels where women feel comfortable
reporting, for instance through women’s centres and community leaders who are trainedon how to handle the reporting of VAW. It istherefore also important to strengthen civilsociety organizations, particularly at the community-level, where they play an importantrole in the referral of survivors to relevant services. This should be accomplished by ensuring support for grass-roots women’s organizations – especially those that provide essential
services to hard-to-reach, remote and vulnerable populations. It is also important to ensure that women’s organizations are actively
engaged in decision-making processes so that

their needs and concerns are identified and included in the prevention of, and responses to,violence against women and girls.
Establishing and integrating communitybased services that meet women where they
are is particularly important for women who
experience violence within their family. To encourage more effective reporting and reducefear, community-level infrastructure can befurther strengthened by leveraging existingsocial networks to improve access to pathwaysfor VAW survivors to seek help, and strengthening informal channels and communication
networks for support-seeking. Information
should be provided to enhance the accessibility to services for survivors, including throughpublic service announcements on service referrals, for example, or on how to safely continue
employment, using formats that are accessible to different groups of women, including
women with disabilities.
3. The challenges associated with VAWrequire programmatic interventions that are
sensitive to traditional gender roles while
exploring how gender norms may silence
VAW survivors.
Services may not be accessible for all womenexperiencing violence from a partner or otherhousehold member, not only because domestic violence is often considered a private matter but also because of a lack of accessibilityor fear of repercussions. Among the support
mechanisms discussed with women participating in this research, financial support andmental health support services had the lowest awareness, suggesting that current programmes focused on these measures could
be used to improve awareness and usage, anddestigmatize VAW as something that should
only be dealt with within the family.
In particular, programming that proactively
challenges gender stereotypes and harmful
masculinities, often accentuated under COVID-19, could be developed. This includes targeted messages for men in order to encourage

24

healthy ways of coping with stressful situations. This may also be especially helpful for
full-time caregivers, as this study reveals thisgroup is the least likely to report VAW and hassome of the highest rates of mental and emotional distress.
Large-scale local and national awarenessraising initiatives should be implemented
to target social norms and promote favourable attitudes and behaviours. This can bedone through engaging with media outlets

to continue to raise the visibility of increased
violence against women and girls and demonstrate how the risk factors that drive violence
are exacerbated amid COVID-19, as well as theimpacts of VAW on women and society. It canalso include proactively challenging genderstereotypes and harmful masculinities that are
accentuated under COVID-19 (e.g., increased
household care work for women, financial insecurity/unemployment).

7. METHODOLOGY
The survey was fielded via Computer-Assisted
Telephone Interviewing using random-digit
dialing to mobile numbers between 18 Augustand 24 September 2021. The total number ofcompleted interviews was 1,209. During thesurvey period, Colombia experienced a steadydecrease in reported COVID-19 cases and asteady increase in reported vaccinations.7
Colombia experienced school closures, lockdowns with stay-at-home recommendations,border arrival screenings, and some workplaceclosures.

7
8

The sample was drawn via random-digit dialing among the population of mobile phone
numbers, so the sample population is limited
to women aged 18 or over with mobile phone
access. Women over age 60 were also specifically targeted with an existing database toensure adequate coverage of this age group.
However, the percentages for each age groupfrom this survey match the percentages foreach age group from UN data, as well as Colombia’s Census data.8

Age group

Percentage of adult women based on Census data

Percentage of adult women from sample data

18–29

28%

27.6%

30–39

20%

20.2%

40–49

17%

17.1%

50–59

16%

15.7%

60+

19%

19.4%

https://graphics.reuters.com/world-coronavirus-tracker-and-maps/countries-and-territories/colombia/
http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?d=POP&f=tableCode%3A22 and https://www.dane.gov.co/39

Measuring the shadow pandemic:
Violence against women during COVID-19 in Colombia

25

DEFINITIONSCommunity: A term referencing the geographic area in which the respondent lives.
Food insecurity: This study used the Food andAgriculture Organization (FAO)’s formulation
to measure food insecurity, with an eightstatement battery. These data can be used toestablish estimates of the proportion of thesample who were moderately or severely foodinsecure, which can also be disaggregated byother variables of interest through the useof the FAO Food Insecurity Experience Scale(FIES) module. Any references in the report toprevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity represent estimates of the prevalence andshould be interpreted as such.
Partnered: A term referring to women who
were married or living/cohabiting with a partner.
Violence against women: Any act of genderbased violence that results in, or was likely
to result in, physical, sexual or psychologicalharm or suffering to women, including threatsof such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivationof liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.
Felt unsafe walking alone: Refers to women
who indicated that they felt “not very safe” or“not safe at all” walking alone outside during
the day (at question C02) or during the night(at question C03).

Experienced or knew someone who had experienced VAW: Refers to women who indicatedthat they, or another woman they knew, had
experienced any form of VAW. “Since COVID-19” is added to indicate women who indicated that these incidents had only been occurring since the start of the pandemic.
Experienced frequent conflict: Refers to respondents who indicated that they experienced conflict or arguments in their homes atleast once a week during the last six months(at question C19).
Experienced infrequent conflict: Refers to
respondents who indicated that they experienced conflict or arguments in their homes“once or twice” or “never” during the last six
months (at question C19).
Violence, abuse and harassment is a problem
the community: Refers to respondents who
indicated that physical harm, abuse or harassment of women is “a lot”, “somewhat”, or “alittle bit” of a problem where they live (at question C07).
Violence, abuse and harassment is not a problem the community: Refers to respondents
who indicated that physical harm, abuse or
harassment of women is “not at all” a problem
where they live (at question C07).

26

© 2022 UN Women. All rights reserved.
The views expressed in this publication arethose of the author(s) and do not necessarily
represent the views of UN Women, the United
Nations or any of its affiliated organizations.
Produced by the Women Count programme
Editor: Jen Ross
Design: Ouissal Hmazzou

220 East 42nd Street
New York, New York 10017, USA
data.unwomen.org
www.unwomen.org
www.facebook.com/unwomen
www.twitter.com/un_women
www.youtube.com/unwomen
www.flickr.com/unwomen
instagram.com/unwomen