ABSTRACT
Violence within the home involved the use of coercion and force in the exercise of social power, whether physical, sexual or psychological in nature.3 This was a daily occurrence in all communities, with focus groups identifying a dramatically large diversity of types. In Colombia, an overall total of twenty different manifestations were identified, while in Guatemala, there were a comparable eighteen types. In terms of average national listings of types of violence identified in the communities, intrafamily violence was perceived as slightly more common in Guatemala than in Colombia. In the former, it was the highest single category of violence (14 percent) along with fights outside the home, while in the latter it represented 10 percent of all violence types listed. There were also variations among the communities. In Guatemala, the highest level was identified in San Jorge, Chinautla, (29 percent) and the lowest in Sacuma, Huehuetenango, (6 percent), while in Colombia, it represented only 5 percent in Pórtico, Medellín, compared with 16 percent in Jericó, Bogotá (see Chapter 3).
