Genograma y ecomapa para identificar redes de apoyo en casos de violencia de género.

Abstract

Since 2007 the erradication of gender violence has been declared a national priority by Ecuador. One of the important aspects to consider when studying gender violence is the presence or absence of support networks for these women, taking into account that not all social networks can be considered sources of support. Two graphic tools that stem from a systemic perspective and can detect support networks are the genogram, which allows sketching a family tree to recognize potential sources of support within the family, and the ecomap, which entails graphing circles surrounding the family to represent external systems that the family can count on. The use of these two tools is not exclusive to the medical area. All professionals who attend to this population can benefit from using these tools to promote the identification of support networks. This research is descriptive, crossectional, inductive, and qualitative. A unique interview was conducted with 5 users of the Victims Unit within the Public Defender’s Office and 10 civil servants of the same unit within the Public Defender’s Office. The research concludes women who are victims of gender violence benefit from these tools (genogram and ecomap) since they graphically identify their life history and their potential sources of support within and outside of their household. This research also concludes initial response professionals, regardless of their profession and/or theoretical orientation, could train themselves and use these tools to provide comprehensive care to this population.