Millions of women are victims of domestic violence

According to a 2016 Inegi survey , 64.0%, 12.2 million, of women who have suffered violence at the hands of their husbands or boyfriends have endured severe and very severe violence .

The 43.0% of the victims endured severe violence. In this category, there are women who suffered physical and/or sexual violence from time to time, along with severe physical and emotional damage , such as cuts, burns, lost teeth, hemorrhages, nervous breakdowns, anguish, fear, sadness, affliction, depression or insomnia.

Meanwhile, other 20.8% of women suffered very severe violence . This category comprises those who reported multiple types of violence on a regular basis, with physical injuries and emotional damage that put them at risk, such as broken bones, abortions or premature births, sexually-transmitted diseases, loss of motor skills, suicidal thoughts, and suicide attempts .

The incidence of violence against current or previous partners refers to the number of women who experimented, at least, a violent situation of any kind, in comparison with the total of women .

In this sense, 19.1 million , 43.9%, of women over 15 have faced violence at the hands of their partners, husbands, or boyfriends throughout their relationships. This situation has maintained similar levels in the last 10 years, according to the Relation's Dynamic at Home National Survey (ENDIREH) 2016 .

On the state level, 12 states are above the national average, although the ones with the highest numbers are: the State of Mexico, Mexico City, Aguascalientes, Jalisco, Oaxaca, and Michoacán . On the contrary, 20 cities are below the national average, among them Campeche and Nuevo León , with 32.1% and 32.2%.

The surveys and results from several studies indicate that the most severe aggression such as the physical and sexual ones aren't isolated acts, they are recurrent and systematic aggressions , and are usually followed by other aggressions that damage their emotional integrity or try to pressure them or control them; such is the case of economic violence, blackmail, degradation, or threats.

It's true that emotional and economic violence are the most prevailing in relationships, compared to physical (17.9%) and sexual (6.5%) violence suffered to a lesser extent, these two aren't isolated aggressions, for example, between married women, 18.3% have faced multiple aggressions of all kinds, and the number increases to 35.5% among separated, divorced, and widowed women.

The aggressions that cause the most physical injuries, ranging from pushes, kicks, strangling, and even injuries with firearms and sexual abuse aren't isolated aggressions and are more extended and are more serious.

It has been estimated that annually, each woman lost between 30 days of paid work and 28 of unpaid work as a result of violence at the hands of her partner. The estimated loss, from October 2015 and October 2016, is MXN $4.4 million.

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