Humanized attention in public institutions:

voices of women victims of gender violence who come to denounce and surrender due to the precariousness of the service

Abstract

According to the World Health Organization (2005), any situation that triggers aggression and that alters emotional, physical and mental integrity, is known as gender violence. In Colombia, many of the women who have experienced this situation seek guidance in different contexts and institutions, encountering a panorama of hostility, signaling, and arbitrariness. For this reason, the objective of the research sought to give a voice to women attacked by their former partners in relation to the perception of the humanized care they receive when they request help in different institutions. The methodology was based on a nested mixed study with qualitative prevalence, descriptive scope and phenomenological design. Ten women with a history of violence participated for the collection of information for an implemented focus group strategy. Some relevant results show that women try to seek help in prosecutors’ offices and police stations, however, some report unpleasant interactions characterized by taunts by officials, unfriendly treatment, derogatory comments, looks of arrogance and little desired to be listed to. From the foregoing, it is concluded that it is essential to implement training processes based on humanized care aimed at officials who serve vulnerable or emotionally weak populations. Likewise, the participating women report that in most cases they decided not to complete their processes
due to the emotional triggers that lead to unworthy treatment when more support is required.