Almost half of reported cases of marital violence occurred in the capital Bogotá. Local figures show an alarming rise in the amount of women seeking protection for their abusive husband. The number of Bogotá women receiving protection went from 3,584 in 2004 to 6,032 last year.Not all battered women seek or receive protection. Women reported 11,583 cases of marital violence to Bogotá authorities in 2007, but in most cases the charges were dropped later.According to House Representative Lucero Cortés, who presented the alarming figures in Congress Wednesday, most women try to justify their husband’s violent behavior. They drop the charges because they believe things will get better, they don’t think the harm was that bad, out of fear of another attack or because they don’t want to sue their own husband.Most men turn to violence because of their intolerance or jealousy.
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