|Metropolitan Region|0.506|2.639|0.0420**|
|---|---|---|---|
||(0.258)|(3.587)|(0.0547)|
|Los Ríos Region|0.717|24.65*|0.0119**|
||(0.452)|(42.52)|(0.0260)|
|Arica and Parinacota Region|0.817|0.224|0.110|
||(0.446)|(0.540)|(0.192)|
|Ñuble Region|0.880|3.390||
||(0.534)|(5.513)||
|Constant|0.138***|0.00119***|0.0524*|
||(0.0783)|(0.00254)|(0.0820)|
|Observations|763|129|129|
|Robust standard errors in parentheses||||

*** p<0.01, ** p<0.05, * p<0.1

# **6. Discussion and policy implications**

Eradicating violence against women requires a political agenda that addresses both the causes and the consequences of violence. The elimination of all forms of violence against women is a target of Goal 5 on Gender Equality, one of the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by United Nations member states to promote all persons' economic and social well-being. The large percentage of women who report having been victims of some type of intimate partner violence, together with the number of femicides that occurred in 2020, underscore the need to develop a policy agenda that includes prevention, protection, and reparation programs for violence against women to guarantee that women can exercise their right to live a life free from violence.

To design effective programs for the prevention of violence against women, policy makers must consider the multiple underlying risk factors for violence. The risk factors associated with intimate partner violence identified in this study are consistent with the literature. Individual characteristics of the woman that increase the risk of intimate partner violence include being young, having fewer years of education, having a disability, and having experienced sexual abuse in childhood. Risk factors associated with characteristics of partners or ex-partners are aggressive behavior in public spaces, having been a victim of intrafamily violence in childhood, having witnessed violence against women within the nuclear household, and frequent alcohol consumption. Study findings also indicate that the economic empowerment of women in certain contexts may lead to an increase in violence. Men who feel their masculinity threatened may try to regain their control over women by retaliating with violence. Household dynamics that prevent women from participating in economic decision-making and the widespread acceptance of social norms and roles that foster power asymmetries between men and women are also factors that significantly increase the risk that a woman will experience intimate partner violence. Prevention programs need to consider all these factors.

Education plays a key role in prevention. Given that less-educated young women are at higher risk of intimate partner violence, it is crucial to promote equal access to education and develop prevention strategies within schools, as schools represent an important space to promote initiatives that address gender inequalities from a young age. Violence prevention initiatives should raise awareness of children and young people concerning gender stereotypes and inequitable traditional gender roles, teaching them to develop egalitarian power dynamics and helping them to develop skills that foster healthy 20