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Domestic violence in Bolivia is a pervasive and underreported problem.[1] According to the Center for the Information and Development of Women (CIDEM), 70 percent of women suffer some form of abuse.[1] CIDEM noted that the statistics "did not reflect the full magnitude of the problem of violence against women" and that "a great number of women" did not report the aggression they faced on a daily basis.[1] The most exhaustive national survey on domestic violence conducted by the National Statistical Institute in 2003 showed 64 percent of women were the target of some form of emotional, physical, or sexual abuse from their partner.[1]
Family laws prohibiting mental, physical, and sexual violence provide for fines or up to four days in jail, unless the case becomes a public crime subject to the Penal Code; however, these laws were enforced irregularly.[1] The government took few meaningful or concrete steps to combat domestic violence.[1] As of November 26, 2006, the police Family Protection Brigade had attended to 8,954 cases, as compared to approximately 5,200 in 2005, and 3,640 were cases of repeat offenders. However, most cases of domestic violence went unreported.[1]
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