Emergencia silenciosa

aumento de la violencia familiar en mujeres en la Ciudad de México durante la pandemia COVID-19

Abstract

Domestic violence against women represents a critical, persistent public health issue in Mexico, which was demonstrably exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Factors such as mandatory confinement, social isolation, and heightened economic stressors amplified existing coercive control dynamics, leading to a surge in gender-based violence reports. This pattern confirms domestic violence as a systemic outcome of deeply entrenched structural and cultural gender inequalities in Mexican society.

This study conducted a descriptive analysis of 210 police reports filed by women (aged 18–55) detailing physical violence with the Mexico City Prosecutor's Office specializing in Family Violence between 2021 and 2023. The majority of victims were concentrated within the 27- to 42-year-old cohort, a phase associated with peak productive and reproductive life and reflecting a heightened vulnerability profile.

The predominant educational attainment was secondary or high school, with homemakers and working women constituting the largest occupational groups. These data suggest a strong correlation between economic dependency, lower socioeconomic standing, and increased exposure to domestic violence.

The most frequent physical injuries documented were equimosis (bruising) and excoriations (scrapes). The distribution of injuries was statistically concentrated on the arms, hands, and face (specifically the nasal region). This location pattern is interpreted as evidence of active defensive posturing by the victims against physical subjugation.  The results definitively confirm that intrafamily violence is not an isolated phenomenon but an expression of profound structural and cultural inequalities.

Mitigating this crisis requires a robust policy response that necessitates the reinforcement of integral public policies informed by a gender perspective, expansion of institutional protection services, and assurance of specialized, multidisciplinary care—encompassing physical health, mental health support, and guaranteed access to justice. Only this comprehensive approach will effectively reduce violence and ensure the safety and autonomy of women.