The domestic violence issue is not exclusive to the pandemic, nor to the city or the state, but to the social context in which we live, in which ignorance, fear and shame lead women to accept aggressive behavior on the part of their partners or loved ones.

However, during the quarantine of more than a year that brought the COVID-19 contingency, domestic violence against women in Tijuana increased, causing that only in 2020, the Municipal Institute of Women (Immujer) attended more than 9 thousand cases. According to the agency, this situation has not only affected adult women, but also girls and adolescents, who have required support.

Before the arrival of the virus that caused a long confinement, domestic violence was already one of the most flagrant violations of human rights. In the last 12 months, 243 million women and girls between 15 and 49 years of age worldwide have suffered sexual or physical violence by an intimate partner, especially in France, Germany, Ukraine, Italy, Spain and Norway.

According to a diagnosis by the National Commission to Prevent and Eradicate Violence Against Women (CONAVIM) during the strongest months of the confinement, 18 percent of the municipalities in Mexico concentrated most of the femicides occurred in the country, in which 940 femicides were registered, two less than in 2019.

In Tijuana, the pandemic aggravated the tranquility of women even more, since being locked in the same space with the family increased the level of stress, anxiety, insecurity, among other factors that impacted their mental health, due to the closure of work centers. As a consequence, there was a decrease in income and with it, uncertainty in resolving debts and household expenses.

All these factors, together with situations of threats, manipulation, psychological aggression by the partner, grief due to loss of family members, among others, were triggers for women to report through Immujer's telephone lines, seeking assistance and psychological intervention support.

The demand for crisis intervention care increased by telephone and video call during the strongest months of the pandemic in 2020. The agency recorded 163 initial consultations and 389 contingency orientations. On the other hand, for this year 2021, it has provided 33 care and 228 counseling services, with 309 women remaining on the waiting list, who decided to join group therapy.

When referring to initial care, the municipal institution explains that women received individual sessions via video call or through the Zoom platform. These sessions consist of one hour, one day a week, a support that was very well accepted and that now is being carried out in person.

To carry out the psychological therapies, Immujer works with three different groups: adolescents from 13 to 17 years old, women from 18 to 25 years old, and women from 25 to 55 years old. They work on releasing fear and uncertainty, especially the problem of depression, channeling those affected to more specialized consultations. The sessions are 50 minutes long, once a week.

Group therapy is aimed at women who are going through a situation of violence. They work with them on issues of empowerment, recognition of women's rights, identification of gender violence, awareness, self-esteem, prevention, among others. The abused women have to complete a total of 12 sessions over a period of three months.

It should be noted that in this border city, red hot spots have been detected in the San Antonio de los Buenos, Centro and Sánchez Taboada districts, especially in the neighborhoods of Villa del Álamo, Real de Bonita and Puerta de Plata. The highest concentration of cases of violence against women is registered in Camino Verde, Zona Centro and fraccionamiento Natura.

The importance of the affected women to report to Immujer's hotlines (664) 622-2531 and (664) 622-3777, as well as the 075 line, available 24 hours a day for crisis intervention, is strongly emphasized. In this way, a culture of prevention and active response to this type of cases is being developed.

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