# **3. Data**

Data from the 2020 ENVIF-VCM was used to conduct the analysis. The ENVIF-VCM survey is carried out by the Undersecretary for Crime Prevention of the Ministry of the Interior and Public Safety and collects information on different forms of intrafamily violence such as psychological, physical, sexual, and economic violence, and on forms of violence experienced in other contexts, such as violence in public spaces, the workplace, and schools. It also gathers information on sexual crimes occurring during childhood and violence against older adults (women aged 66 and over). Additionally, the questionnaire includes questions about the sociodemographic characteristics of the women surveyed, the head of the household, and the current and/or former partner. Questions also elicit information on previous aggressive behavior of the current and/or former partner; economic dependence and the ability to dispose of one's own or the partner's financial resources; attitudes towards gender roles; and support from the extended family and participation in networks.

The survey is nationally and regionally representative of the female population aged 15 and over in urban areas. The 2020 ENVIF-VCM surveyed 7,735 women; 6,775 of this sample were aged 15 to 65 while 960 were over age 66.<sup>11</sup> Since this study focuses on violence inflicted by a partner or ex-partner during the past 12 months,<sup>**12**</sup> the data sample was restricted to the subgroup of women aged 15 to 65 who reported that they are or have been in a relationship. This subgroup corresponds to 89 percent of the sample of women in that age group. Nearly 20 percent of the women in this subsample are between the ages of 15 and 25, 65 percent are between 25 and 55, and 15 percent are between 55 and 65. Moreover, 6 percent are foreigners, 10 percent are indigenous women, 6 percent have a disability, 30 percent have a tertiary education, and 51 percent are employed. Sixteen percent report having been a victim of childhood sexual abuse by a relative.

# **3.1. Prevalence**

One in four women (25 percent) aged 15 to 65 who have been in a relationship reported having been subject to some type of violence by their partner or ex-partner in the past 12 months, whether psychological, physical, sexual, or economic (Appendix A provides details on the episodes of violence included in each type of violence). When disaggregating the data by type of violence, psychological violence appeared to be the most prevalent. Indeed, 17 percent of respondents reported having experienced psychological violence, 11 percent economic violence, 4 percent sexual violence, and 3 percent physical violence (Figure 1).

Of the total number of women aged 15 to 65 who reported having been a victim of some type of intimate partner violence in the past 12 months, 26 percent said that they had experienced more than one type of violence. In general, physical and sexual violence are accompanied by psychological violence. In fact, 17 percent reported having been victims of physical and/or sexual violence and psychological violence simultaneously, and 8 percent declared having experienced psychological and economic violence without physical or sexual abuse (Figure 2).

> 11 In previous versions of the survey, the study population corresponded to women aged 15 to 65. Beginning in 2020, the survey incorporated women aged 66 and over in the sample in an effort to measure violence against older women.

> 12 Given the way the data are collected, it is not possible to identify the perpetrator in cases of violence that occurred prior to the last 12 months.

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