Bogota’s mayor revealed Wednesday that 72% of women in the capital have been victims of psychological abuse, Colombian media reported.
Clara Lopez Obregon, the mayor of Bogota, disclosed a report from the city’s first Local Survey of Demographics and Health, which collected information on 10,411 residences in order to gain greater insight on patterns of consumption, education levels, and basic needs of local population.
“One of the central themes of this survey is that it reflects on the matter of violence, both psychological and physical, against women. This is a very grave matter that 72% of women had indicated they had been a victim of violence of one sort or another and only 40% had reported it, and this figure is higher than the national average,” reported Obregon.
The mayor went on to say that the high levels of violence against women should be a social indicator for the government, and that “it is fundamental that we make district-wide and national campaigns in opposition to violence against women.”
The study also revealed that 37% of married women in Bogota had been physically abused by their husband or partner, and of those women 58% never sought help.
The Bogota mayor commented that “we need to educate and study the matters of this kind… [we must] pay attention to what this is showing us – it is a reflection of a ‘machisto’ culture,” [and although] we have done a lot and we have advanced in modifying it, it is still underlying in the women and men of the capital of the republic.”
Over one-third (36%) of families in Bogota were reportedly female-led households, with the average household being comprised of 3.5 people. Of children under 15, over half (58%) reported living with both parents, one-third (34%) with their mother, and 3% with their father.
According to the report, more than half of men (52%) and women (56%) between the ages of 25-29 had pursued higher education.
The data revealed that women in Bogota begin to be sexually active at the average age of 18 years, while 15% of young women reported they had been pregnant at one time. The average number of children per Bogotana was reportedly 1.4 kids.
The majority (76%) of the surveyed population had health insurance.