The politics of domestic violence policy in Latin America

A third reason for moving the research agenda beyond the policy adoption stage is that the configuration of state and societal actors that shape policy outcomes differs throughout the various stages of the policy cycle. [...] The preference for laws that incorporate counseling and conciliation emerges from the fact that the majority of laws are framed in such a way that the primary good to be protected is the family unit rather than the individual at risk of violence (Larraín 1999; Macaulay 2005). [...] According to Paul Sabatier and Daniel Mazmanian (1995), there are three main factors that shape policy implementation: (1) the complexity of the problem, (2) the extent to which the legislation adopted “coherently structures the implementation process”, and (3) changing external conditions, particularly those that shape perceptions about the seriousness of the problem. [...] In the case of domestic violence policy, the implementation process is complicated substantially by the complexity of the issue. [...] The lack of resources assigned to domestic violence policies signifies an absence of political will on the part of governments, many of whom favor the adoption of domestic violence laws and policies for legitimacy-building purposes rather than out of serious commitment to women’s rights.