By Fernanda Tarica

Gender violence is today a problem that has captured the attention of society, largely because the media has been taking up the news about femicides. This visibility contributed to a greater rejection of violence by society.

The death of a woman victim of violence is a situation that moves us, makes us angry and rebels. It is the most serious and irreversible consequence of gender violence, and the most visible result of the impact that violence can have on women's health.

Chronic abuse also has important implications for women's health and well-being, both in the short and long term. Little by little it is damaging daily life and affecting the physical and mental health of them and their daughters and sons. It is important to mention that the sequelae persist even after the end of the coexistence.

Abuse produces a gradual and gradual deterioration of self-esteem, self-esteem and autonomy, energy weakens and remains at the service of self-defense and that of their children, with little rest for personal care. Fear and anxiety accompany women in their daily lives, causing great exhaustion and stress. Women live with insults, humiliation, beatings and sexual harassment. They are isolated and economically dependent, they feel that they have no way out. Depression is 6 times more frequent in battered women than in those who have not been. There are reasons. Difficulties sleeping and concentrating, eating disorders, substance abuse such as alcohol and tranquilizers, and suicide attempts are consequences associated with chronic abuse.

Studies carried out in various countries show that a high percentage of women who attend health services are victims of abuse. Between 22% and 35% of women who go to an emergency service have symptoms that are direct consequences of violence. 59% of these consultations were for bruises, 24% for deep wounds, 14% for superficial wounds, 6% for fractures and 1.2% for burns. In Toulouse, France, 1 woman out of 5 who consults for blows or injuries declares to be a victim of violence.

Gender violence is the cause of headaches, lower back pain, abdominal pain, pelvic pain, gastrointestinal disorders, asthma, menstrual cycle disorders, injuries, fractures, retinal detachment, eardrum rupture, unwanted pregnancies, HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Gender violence, when it exists, is present in all the life cycles of women. Pregnancy does not protect women from violence, on the contrary, 25% of battered women have been battered for the first time during pregnancy. The consequences for pregnant women put their lives and that of their unborn children at risk. Delay in seeking prenatal care, insufficient weight of the mother, vaginal infections, bleeding, increased risk of miscarriage, premature birth, and fetal distress are common.

Many of these symptoms are non-specific, but others are not, they are very clear, and even so, the common thing is not to see gender violence as its cause.