The results of the latest ENVIF-VCM,<sup>3</sup> carried out by the Undersecretary for Crime Prevention, show that 2 in 5 women report having been a victim of some type of intrafamily violence in their lifetime, whether psychological or physical violence by a relative, partner or ex-partner, or sexual violence by a partner or ex-partner.<sup>4</sup> The intrafamily violence indicator has increased significantly over the years, from 32.6 percent in 2012 to 38.2 percent in 2017 and to 41.4 percent in 2020. This trend is mainly explained by the increase in psychological violence.<sup>5</sup> Additionally, 73.7 percent of reported incidents of psychological violence and 72.2 percent of those of physical violence were perpetrated by the current or ex-partner.

<mark>Chilean legislation criminalized femicide for the first time in 2010, through Law No. 20,480,</mark><sup>6</sup> <mark>which defines femicide as “</mark> _<mark>the killing of a woman carried out by someone who is or has been her spouse or partner, or with whom she has or has had a child in common, by reason of having or having had a sentimental or sexual relationship with her without living together</mark>_ <mark>.” Some emblematic cases of femicide in recent years have given rise to laws and bills that seek to modify the definition of femicide, such as the "Gabriela Law," enacted in March 2020 (Law No. 21,212</mark><sup>7</sup> <mark>), which broadens the typification of femicide to include as the perpetrator of this crime whomever, for reasons of hatred, contempt or abuse due to gender, kills a woman, not only when it is her spouse or partner. The "Justice for Antonia" bill seeks to criminalize the incitement of suicide, also known as femicide-suicide. The National Service for Women and Gender Equity (SernamEG) reports that 43 completed femicides</mark><sup>8</sup> <mark>and 151 attempted femicides</mark><sup>9</sup> <mark>occurred during 2020.</mark> The COVID-19 pandemic has further exposed women's vulnerability to intimate partner violence. A recent UN Women report on the impact of Covid-19 on violence against women in Latin America and the Caribbean found that cases of violence increased considerably since the onset of the pandemic and the establishment of quarantine measures. The number of calls to helplines rose fivefold in some countries (UN Women, 2020). In Chile, the number of calls to the SernamEG hotline for guidance on violence against women nearly tripled between March and July 2020, according to information provided by the Ministry of Women and Gender Equity.<sup>10</sup> This situation demonstrates that for many women, the home is not a safe place.

> 3 The 2020 ENVIF-VCM is representative of the population of women aged 15 and over in urban areas at the national and regional levels.

> 4 The intrafamily violence indicator includes women aged 15 to 65 in urban areas.

5It is difficult to determine the extent to which this increase owes to rising violence rates, particularly psychological violence; and how much is due to the fact that violence is no longer normalized and, as such, women are not only more aware that they are or have been victims of violence but are more willing to report if it occurs. In recent years, the government, nongovernmental organizations, and feminist movements have increased their outreach campaigns to raise awareness of genderbased violence and inequality, which may have influenced the increase in reporting.

> 6 <u>https://www.bcn.cl/leychile/navegar?idNorma=1021343</u>

> 7 <u>https://www.bcn.cl/leychile/navegar?idNorma=1143040</u>

8 At the civil society level, in 2020, the Chilean Network Against Violence Against Women registered 58 completed femicides, 3 femicide-suicides and 6 murders due to violence. These figures differ from official data because of limitations in the legal definition of femicide in Chile. Source: Femicide Registry Chilean Network Against Violence Against Women (accessed - 01.11.20): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1s_g16Ttsm0S1_9oMH2xilgDMRNaJTALjjV <u>wAdR5xVc/edit#gid=1952631340</u> 9 Source: Statistical data on femicides from SernamEG (accessed on 01.11.20): <u>https://www.SernamEG.gob.cl/?page_id=27084</u> 10 <u>https://www.latercera.com/politica/noticia/ministra-zalaquett-informa-aumento-del-166-en-las-atenciones-del-fono1455-en-5-meses-y-pide-avanzar-en-ley-de-violencia-integral-para-proteger-a-lasmujeres/LBT5HCWZNVCWFJDZXTRR5RTEXE/</u> 4