Abstract

SANZ-BARBERO, Belén; HERAS-MOSTERIO, Julio; OTERO-GARCIA, Laura  and  VIVES-CASES, Carmen. Sociodemographic profile of femicide in Spain and its association with domestic abuse reporting. Gac Sanit [online]. 2016, vol.30, n.4, pp.272-278. ISSN 0213-9111.  https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gaceta.2016.03.004.

Objective: To analyse the characteristics associated with the risk of femicide in Spain among women exposed to domestic violence or similar aggression, and the possible association with filing judicial complaints against the aggressors. Methods: A case-control study was carried out for the period 2010-2011. The cases included 135 adult women killed by their partners (or similar) during the period, identified through the webpage of the Federación de Asociaciones de Mujeres Separadas y Divorciadas (Association of Separated and Divorced Women), and from the reports of the General Council of the Judiciary. The control cases included 185 women exposed to domestic violence in the past year, from the Macrosurvey of Gender Violence 2011. The association between filing a complaint and the risk of femicide was estimated through multivariate logistic regression models. Results: There was no association found between the filing of a complaint against the aggressor and the risk of murder (OR: 1.38; 95% CI: 0.68-2.79). Immigrant women exposed to domestic violence were at greater risk of being murdered (ref.: Spanish women; OR: 5.38; 95% CI: 2.41-11.99). This association was also observed in women living in rural areas (ref.: urban areas; OR: 2.94; 95% CI: 1.36-6.38). Conclusions: Filing a judicial complaint against the aggressor does not seem to affect the risk of murder among women exposed to domestic violence. Protection measures for women should be strengthened among immigrant women and women living in rural areas.

Keywords : Violence against women; Domestic abuse; Homicide; Case-control studies.

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