Breaking the silence:Addressing Men`s violence against Women : From Costa Rica to the World - Exploring Institutions and Gender based violence through research and qualitative interviews

Abstract: Costa Rica is in many aspects a well-developed country, but as many other countries there is still a lot of inequality between the genders. Which can take its form in violence towards minorities such as women and children. The region is also influenced heavily by very conservative gender norms. The aim of this study is to conduct an in-depth investigation of the occurrence of gender-based violence (GBV). As well as to understand the societal and cultural factors that serve as institutional mechanisms and how they impact the country's development. The study will focus on institutions as structural features of public policy, and the norms set by these institutions that affect laws and civil society. By identifying these institutional mechanisms through the help of our respondents and relevant theories, the study will analyze the legislation, policies and cultural norms that exist within Costa Rican society and compare them with the insights provided by the respondents. This will be achieved through first-hand experiences and observations obtained from in-depth interviews with women and professionals who work and live in Costa Rica. The responses from the interviews will serve as the primary source of data for analysis. The result will be analyzed using Hirdman gender theories: Bandura A. social learning theory, and new institutional theory. The analysis will be presented in different themes, focusing on the legislation and the implementation of laws. The second theme will discuss in more detail the institutional mechanisms and how they impact the development of the country. The study findings indicate that Costa Rica has an underrepresentation of women in the political sphere and society overall, and there is no priority on women's issues. The patriarchal structure perpetuates a damaging worldview for women, machismo, and cultural traditions are some of the examples of informal mechanisms of influence present in the society. In conclusion, GBV is a significant problem in Costa Rica that leads to a high number of women being hurt or killed each year and makes it harder to move forward when it comes to sustainable development. The study finds that institutionalized norms influence the country's politics and contribute to the rise in cases of GBV. Costa Rica is in a unique position concerning sustainable development, and it is essential to study this issue, especially given the country`s previously positive development trajectory. There is also a lack of studies and work by Sweden and Sida in Central and Latin America.