Venezuela: Information on the structure and responsibilities of the jefatura civil and statistics on the number of complaints and charges related to spousal abuses
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 October 1993 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | VEN15445.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Venezuela: Information on the structure and responsibilities of the jefatura civil and statistics on the number of complaints and charges related to spousal abuses, 1 October 1993, VEN15445.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ac5724.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to a representative of the Programa Venezolano de Educación-Acción en Derechos Humanos (PROVEA) in Caracas, each state is divided into districts, and these in turn, into municipalities (15 Oct. 1993). All municipalities have a consejo municipal (municipal council) headed by the mayor and a jefatura civil headed by the jeffe civil (Ibid.). The jefatura civil is responsible for all civil matters related to the person (Ibid.). For example, births and deaths must be registered at the jefatura civil (Ibid.). Civil marriages are also performed at the jefatura civil (Ibid.). The representative added that a female victim of spousal abuse would go to the jefatura civil to file a complaint (Ibid.). The representative of PROVEA was unable to provide statistics on the number of complaints and charges related to spousal abuse (Ibid.).
A representative of the Embassy of Venezuela in Ottawa reported that municipalities are organized into minor divisions and that the jefatura civil is the highest civil authority within each of these divisions (20 Oct. 1993). The jefatura civil is based on a French institution of the 19th century and has no judicial power (Ibid.). It is headed by the jeffe civil (chief of the section) which represents the civilian authority (Ibid.). The municipal police must report to the jefatura civil (Ibid.). People who work at the jefatura civil are public servants (Ibid.). Family violence and disputes between neighbours are reported to the jefatura civil (Ibid.). The representative added that the jefatura civil does not like to intervene in domestic disputes (Ibid.).
Statistics on the number of complaints and charges related to spousal abuse is currently unavailable to the DIRB. Please find attached an excerpt on Venezuela from the Report of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, submitted at the eleventh session of the General Assembly of the United Nations (United Nations 1992, 92-100). Paragraph 432 of the report mentions that neither appropriate legislation nor administrative or service structures were available for victims of domestic violence (Ibid., 98). It is also reported that "currently, no reliable statistics were available on the incidence of domestic violence" (Ibid.).
This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Embassy of Venezuela, Ottawa. 20 October 1993. Telephone interview with representative.
Programa Venezolano de Educación-Acción en Derechos Humanos (PROVEA), Caracas. 15 October 1993. Telephone interview with representative.
United Nations. 1992. (A/47/38). Report of the Committee on the Discrimination Against Women. New York: United Nations.