Contributions and Critical Issues in the Measurement of Sexual Violence Against Women in the Framework of the Armed Conflict in Colombia: A Reflection Based on the Design and Results of the Envise 2010-2015

Abstract

In this article, the authors present a critical analysis of some of the essential results of the Prevalence Survey of Sexual Violence against women in the context of the Colombian armed conflict for the period 2010-2015. This survey presents, among other aspects, data regarding the magnitude of the different conducts linked to sexual violence, some socio-demographic characteristics of the victims, characteristics of the aggressors, and the spaces and the frequency of such forms of violence. While this article reports on the contributions of the survey to generate information on the subject, it also raises a debate about the limitations and challenges that the data have to estimate, among other aspects, the magnitude or prevalence of sexual violence against women in the context of the Colombian armed conflict. It also raises the need to explore the link between this type of violence against women and the context of social and institutional violence that the country has experienced in its recent history.