Book presentation

Xiomar del Rocío Ortiz Vivar, Sandra Soledad Suárez Granda
University of Cuenca

Abstract

In Ecuador, and in the city of Cuenca, daily heartbreaking testimonies are heard from women who have experienced violence simply because they are women; this, despite the existence of state policy, executive decrees, cantonal plans, projects and programs established for prevention. Considering such background, the social outreach project "Juntas contra la violencia de género" (Together agasing gender-based violence”) arises, from which the book "My voice, my story" emerges; a compilation of the testimonies and experiences of these women, who have lived situations of violence, and who are sheltered at the “María Amor Foundation”, showing how gender violence degrades our society and settles in the closest spaces that surround a woman. Regarding the stories, they emerged in the context of support activities for children, and account for children´s creativity, showing how such a social problem involves them as much as their mothers. Within the stories, way of looking at the world constructed after their experiences of pain stands out, and the feelings that overwhelm them can be perceived. These are stories that reveal the loss and recovery of self-esteem, and experiences of motivation and support. The book presents children´s everyday experiences transformed into stories.

Keywords:violence, experience, self-esteem, motivation