Background
Domestic violence in developing countries has evolved
from an issue of relative obscurity to one of primary
concern in the last few deca- des (Miller, 2005; Nasir &
Hyder, 2003; Wenzel, Monson, & Johnson, 2004).
Although women in developing countries experience
several types of violence, domestic violence is the most
stu- died because of its pervasiveness (Stover, 2005;
Waltermaurer, Butsashvili, Avaliani, Samuels, & McNutt,
2013). Other types of violence are not evenly distributed
across all neighborhoods and/or demographic groups and,
in some se- ttings, women are exposed to short- or long-
term atypical acts of violence (Asai & Arnold, 2003; Carli,
Telion, & Baker, 2003; Gracia & Tomas, 2014; Kennedy,
Charlesworth, & Chen, 2004; Pain, 2014; Vlahov et al.,
2002). Most of the available studies about this uncommon
ex- posure have concentrated on the women and children
affected by violent crime in the society due to war,
terrorism, community violence, and fear of crime
(Aisenberg & Ell, 2005; Cox, John- son, & Coyle, 2015;
Nicolaidis, Curry, McFar- land, & Gerrity, 2004; Wong,
Shumway, Flentje, & Riley, 2016).
If we consider that these exposures to violen- ce are not
independent but instead interlinked, it will be helpful to
determine if there is a relationship between women who
feel at risk and women who actually are victimized in an
abu- sive relationship, and are thus, “living the risk”. The
significance of this association will help to understand
1) the emotional layers covering an abusive relationship 2)
a tangible association between feeling at risk and living
the risk (iden- tified by questioning the effect of
feeling at risk because it has less stigma associated with
it) and 3) the possibility that the appropriate interven-
tion may reduce the effects of feeling at risk and help
women to gain understanding of problems involving
abusive relationships.
In addition, the collection of data about this
uncommon exposure offers an opportunity to study
the consequences of victimization and fear of crime on
people’s lives, which have reported debated results
(Evans, Fyfe, & Herbert, 1992; Fox, Nobles, & Piquero,
2009; Golant, 1984; Krulichová, 2018; Low &
Espelage, 2014; May, Vartanian, & Virgo, 2002). For
example, some criminologists report that this fear is
irrational and that those most likely to be victimized are
least afraid, and viceversa (Faramarzi, Esmailzadeh, &
Mosavi, 2005; Maxfield, 1984; Smith, 1985; Tran,
Nguyen, & Fisher, 2016; Young, 1988a).
During a visit of the Inter-American Commission on
Human Rights in 2003 to Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua,
Mexico, the authorities presented information about the
killings of 268 women and girls since 1993 (IACHR,
2003). Most of the victims were young women or girls,
workers in the maquiladoras, or maquilas (Mexican
assembly plants/export-processing factories), who were
sexually abused before being brutally killed. The
authorities reported that more than 250 missing person
reports filed during that period remained unsolved.
Representatives of the civil society presented a letter
signed by 5,000 individuals who demanded an
effective response to the situation. The letter
expressed that women living in this city since 1993 have
been afraid to walk the distance between their homes and
their jobs. Since 2003, the number of unsolved murders of
women has increased, and the city has been recognized
worldwide for its maquiladoras, unpunished killings, drug
cartels, and pollution (Ensalaco, 2006B; Livingston, 2004;
Márquez-Vargas, 2017; Pantaleo, 2010).
In this study, we explored the relationship between
feeling at risk and living the risk (victims of abusive
relationships) in two groups of women living in Ciudad
Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. Women living in this city are
exposed to information about hundreds of unpunished
female homicides. We compared women’s fear of crime
between two different groups of working women: 1)
maquiladora workers (Maquiladora group), who have been
the main target of these homicides and 2) college students
(College group).
In order to define more fully this psychological
distress, we examined risk factors associated with
present/past exposure to domestic violence. Those
who were, or had been, victims of domestic violence
had significantly greater fear of becoming victims of
homicide. In addition, working for assembling plants
significantly increased the women’s fear of
becoming victims of crime. victims of crime.
Method
Study design
This study involved a convenient cross-sectional sample
of 716 women workers (ages 17 to 45), living in Ciudad
Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. The women came from two
different groups: 502 Women working in the maquiladora,
and 214 college students working in non-maquiladora
industries. The occupations of the participants classified
as operators and non-operators