Department of Epidemiology and Global Health, Umeå University, Umeå, 901 87, Sweden.
Int J Equity Health. 2021 May 4;20(1):115. doi: 10.1186/s12939-021-01454-x.
Femicide is a very important public health problem in Ecuador. Since regional and country-level femicide rates can obscure significant variations at the sub-national level, it is important to provide information at the lowest relevant level of disaggregation to be able to develop targeted preventive policies. The aim of this study was to assess the spatial distribution of the femicide rate and to examine its spatial clustering at the canton level in Ecuador in the period 2018-2019.
Data on cases were collected by a national network of non-governmental organizations. Two age-disaggregated analyses were done, one for the 15 to 24 years-olds and the other for the female population of 15 and older. Age-specific population data were obtained from the National Institute of Statistics for the study period. Standardized mortality ratios for mapping the mortality were calculated using hierarchical Bayesian models and spatial scan statistics were applied to identify local clusters. Thematic maps of age-specific femicide rates were also constructed.
During the two-year period, 61 and 183 women were killed in the age ranges 15-24 and 15 years and older, respectively. The annual rate of femicides in Ecuador was 1.0 and 0.8 per 100,000 in the female population aged 15-24 and 15+, respectively, with substantial variations among cantons. The spatial analysis contributed to visualize high risk cantons, which were mainly located in a small area in the central part of the country (for those 15+) but especially in the Amazon region, for both of the studied age groups.
This study has shown the usefulness of applying spatial analysis to the problem of femicides in Ecuador. The study has revealed important variations among cantons but also a spatial clustering, mainly in the Amazon region of the country. The results should help policymakers to focus on current prevention programmes for violence against women into these high-risk areas. Continuous monitoring of femicides at low-level geographical areas is highly recommended.
在厄瓜多尔，女性杀人案是一个非常重要的公共卫生问题。由于区域和国家级别的女性杀人率可能掩盖了次国家级别的显著差异，因此提供最低相关细分水平的信息对于制定有针对性的预防政策非常重要。本研究的目的是评估 2018-2019 年厄瓜多尔各省女性杀人率的空间分布，并研究其在省级的空间聚集情况。
通过一个非政府组织的国家网络收集有关案件的数据。进行了两次年龄细分分析，一次是针对 15 至 24 岁的人群，另一次是针对 15 岁及以上的女性人口。研究期间的特定年龄人口数据来自国家统计局。使用分层贝叶斯模型计算标准化死亡率以进行绘图，并应用空间扫描统计来识别局部聚类。还绘制了年龄特异性女性杀人率的专题地图。
在两年期间，分别有 61 名和 183 名 15-24 岁和 15 岁及以上的女性被杀。厄瓜多尔每年的女性杀人率分别为每 10 万人 1.0 和 0.8，各省之间存在很大差异。空间分析有助于可视化高风险省份，这些省份主要集中在该国中部的一个小区域（针对 15 岁以上人群），但特别是在亚马逊地区，这两个年龄组都是如此。
本研究表明，在厄瓜多尔的女性杀人案问题中应用空间分析是有用的。该研究揭示了各省之间的重要差异，也揭示了主要在该国亚马逊地区的空间聚集。结果应有助于决策者将当前针对暴力侵害妇女行为的预防方案重点放在这些高风险地区。强烈建议在低级别地理区域内持续监测女性杀人案件。
