Gender stereotypes and adolescent girls deprived of liberty in Chile

Abstract

This paper briefly discusses the presence of gender stereotypes in the treatment of adolescent girls deprived of their liberty in Chile. The paper begins by presenting the concept of gender stereotypes and reviewing the main recommendations from the international human rights framework regarding the need to eliminate stereotypes in the justice system in general and in the treatment of adolescent girls deprived of their liberty in particular. It then uses interviews with professionals who work directly with adolescent girls deprived of their liberty to explain, through their words, the main gender stereotypes present in relation to them, which are mainly related to characteristics such as the emotionality, intensity and complexity of adolescent girls. In addition, the analysis of the interviews conducted with the adolescent girls who were in the centres at the time of the visits and who agreed to participate in the study is also included. Finally, a brief reflection is presented on the presence of these stereotypes and how they have their origin in the gender order, the socialisation that the girls receive, and also the violence to which they are exposed, to conclude by reflecting on the State's inability, to date, to provide the conditions and tools for the treatment of adolescent girls deprived of liberty free of gender stereotypes, thus complying with human rights recommendations.

Keywords

• adolescent girls
• deprivation of liberty
• gender stereotypes
• human rights
• juvenile penal system