Weaving Inter-Institutional Relationships For A Society Free Of Violence Against Women In Ecuador: A Global Look At The Local Phenomenon

Abstract

This article is part of the doctoral thesis attached to the Doctorate in "Women's Studies, Discourses and Gender Practices" at the University of Granada. The study is predicated on the interest in analyzing the inter-institutional network in the city of Guayaquil, the most populous city in Ecuador. To that end, a hermeneutic reading of institutional documents, including protocols and manuals, was conducted, complemented by the narratives elucidated in in-depth interviews with 21 key actors from the institutions comprising the Network. The study employed a qualitative, descriptive approach to address the question. A central question of this study is how institutions are organized in order to fulfill their functions and obligations with regard to cases of violence. The central aim is to understand how these institutions deal with violence and how they prevent it. The study was grounded in theories of gender and networks, a methodological framework that facilitated the identification of the categories that guided the analysis of the relational dynamics between institutions and their impact on the care of victims. The findings indicated that, despite institutional endeavors, the implemented strategies have not yielded a substantial social impact, as evidenced by the high incidence of violence cases. Despite the existence of policies, the classification of violence as a crime, and the presence of a ministry or interdisciplinary teams, this political, regulatory, and governmental capital has been unsuccessful in reducing the phenomenon.