Women's strategic responses to violence in Nicaragua

Study objective-To describe the responses of women in Leon, Nicaragua to pa rtner abuse and identify contextual factors associated with the use of cert ain coping mechanisms and the likelihood of permanent separation. Design-Cross sectional population-based survey. Setting-Leon, Nicaragua. Participants-188 women 15-49 years of age who had experienced physical part ner abuse, out of 488 women interviewed. Main results-66% of women defended themselves effectively from abuse either physically or verbally. Forty one per cent of women had left home temporar ily because of violence and 20% had sought help outside the home. Women exp eriencing severe abuse were more likely to leave or seek help, whereas wome n with less severe abuse were more able to defend themselves effectively. S eventy per cent of women eventually left abusive relationships. Help seekin g and temporary separations increased the likelihood of a permanent separat ion, whereas women who defended themselves and were able to stop the violen ce, at least temporarily, were more likely to remain in abusive relationshi ps. Conclusions-Women in Nicaragua use a variety of methods in order to overcom e physical partner abuse. Temporary leaving and help seeking are critical s teps in the process of leaving a violent relationship. However, many women indicated that they did not receive support for their situation. More inter ventions are needed to help women recognise and deal with violence, as well as strengthening the community support networks available to abused women.