Volume 19, No. 4, 2022
Reconstructing As Women: The Role Of Love As Women And Their Social Support Network
Mara Mercedes Osorno Navarro , Isabel Cristina Posada Zapata
Abstract
The goal of this research was to explore the ways of coping with sexual violence (SV) in female victims in San Onofre, Colombia, as a product of the meanings emerging on the phenomenon. It was a qualitative research with a Grounded Theory design, in-depth interviews were used to collect information, sampling and theoretical saturation were considered until a substantive theory was built. The resulting theory allows to affirm that the characteristics of the experience of sexual violence in women leads to symbolize it as discomfort, exile, destruction of their goals and projects, in addition to the difficulty to forgive due to the magnitude of the damage caused; additionally, the conditions of the territory of San Onofre and its history influenced the meanings that women victims of sexual violence (WVSV) attributed to their experience, which was described as unforgettable because of the traces left on their bodies. One of the ways of coping by women (“coping” from here on) is represented in familiar and communitary love ties towards understanding and support, thus becoming one of the most favorable ways to cope with sexual violence. SV in female victims was based on the love of their families as sustenance and the role of support networks found in social organizations, as essential tools to rebuild themselves as women. Some of the WVSV coping methods are represented in the indestructible ties of family and community love, in understanding and support, which has made it one of the most favorable ways to deal with sexual violence.
Pages: 595-610
Keywords: Coping is considered a process with multiple determinations, which includes both situational aspects and personal predispositions (Stone, Helder, Shneider, 1988).