Collecting and using data to calculate economic and social

costs of Violence Against Women

Geneva

UNECE Work Session on Gender Statistics

April 26-28

MACROSYSTEM

EXOSYSTEM

MICROSYSTEM

Legalsphere

Educationalsphere

Labourmarketsphere

Psychologicalsphere

Healthsphere

Indicators for each sphere

• Reflection of a holistic policy and legislation (or not!)

• All stakeholders can be reflected per their role

• All of the areas mentioned in the methodological approach are included

• Differentiate between output and outcome indicators

Itinerary approach to costing

• Women affected by violence initiate a critical path or itinerary in each of the areas.

• Most policies do not take into account the fact that there are several fronts opened which need to be addressed (many blind spots in preventive policy )

• That is why holistic approaches must be financed and monitored

• This includes the work by NGOs and women’s machineries

H ID IN G T H E A G G R E S S IO N

S E P A R A T IO N

IN F L E X IO N P O IN T

P E R S IS TA N C E O FA G G R E S S IO N S

(T H E Y B E C O M E C H R O N IC )

E M P L O Y M E N T , H E A L T H , E D U C A T IO NP R O B L E M S

D IM IN IS H E D S O C IA LP A R T IC IP A T IO N

V IO L E N C E W IT N E S S E DA N D E X P E R IE N C E D

B Y C H IL D R E N

JU S T IF IC A T IO N O F F A C TS

F IR S T A G G R E S S IO N S

Background situation in Spain• New legislation in 2004 is a holistic Law addressing gender

based violence with support from all the political parties (although PP does not agree with the positive discrimination aspects)

• Since 1997 media in Spain changed forever the way VAW was portrayed, reported and viewed (Ana Orantes burned to death by her husband after appearing on a national television talk show denouncing a lifetime of violence) TURNING POINT IN SPANISH SOCIETY

• All cases of death are reported in ALL media as macho violence or gender based violence (no more passionate crimes, etc.)

• These are two of the most important qualitative indicators which are being constantly improved in Spain: political unity and specialised reporting

Background situation in Spain• Since 1999 Macro surveys based on the

Canadian experience have been carried out every 4 years (2002, 2006)

• There is as steady decrease in the percentage of Spanish women affected by intimate partner violence, but increasing among the also increasing immigrant population

• Deaths have an irregular pattern• Specific measures for immigrant women

(especially in an illegal situation in the country)

Background situation in Spain• There are official state, regional and local

observatories on violence that collect and process various indicators produced by a wide range of institutions

• There are NGO initiatives also with support from public funding

• The various Ministries, departments and institutions are in charge of collecting different types of data are developing and refining their tools (Justice, Health, Labour, Social Security, Education, Rural development, Local government federations)

Resident adult female population in Spain

Women technically

considered as abused

(Type A)

Women self- classified as

abused

(Type B)

Women technically considered as abused

(Type A)

Women technically

considered as abused

(Type A)

Women self- classified as

abused

(Type B)

Women self- classified as

abused

(Type B)

(*) Statistically significant difference using the Chi square test at 0.01 confidence interval

12.4% 4.2% 11.1*% 4.0% 9.6*% 3.6*%

Source: Analysis report of the Macro survey on VAW, Institute for Women, 2006

Main contributions

• the detailed identification of the effects of violence on the victims,

• the interrelations between the different dimensions that the effects are grouped under, and

• which agents that carry the costs.

Main Findings

• Indirect and direct costs around 2% of the regional GDP

• Highest cost for victims which included a calculation of suffering (43% of total costs calculated

• Second highest is the public sector with direct and indirect costs in all of the areas with 43% of total

• Employers carry 16% of total costs and 25% of indirect costs

Main findings• Policies for hidden victims were virtually inexistent (need

for training for detection and protocols in different areas)• Women who decide to report are not duly informed (nor

supported) about all of the different administrative procedures that they must deal with

• Few services for children, need to reinforce educational support to avoid negative impacts on returns to investment in education

• Employment services and employers are not aware of the situation of victims and what they can do to help

• Investment on prevention only a very small amount compared to costs (at the time only 1.1%)

What type of indicators?

1. Analysis and Scale of gender violence

2. Analysis of adopted Measures

3. Resources

4. Surveys and research studies