Measuring violence against women in order to improve policy

Sylvia WalbyUNESCO Chair in Gender ResearchLancaster UniversityS.Walby@Lancaster.ac.uk

Introduction

Measurement, indicators and policy development

What are indicators? Indicators of extent and severity

How to measure in surveys Indicators of impact

Cost? Indicators of policy performance

What information? What has been achieved? What next?

Measurement, indicators and policy development

Lots of well-intentioned new policy initiatives

But do they work? Need robust information that is

comparable over time in order to evaluate policy developments

Indicators

Why indicators? Key link between policy and statistics To simplify complex information To assess if there is progress

Criteria for selection Unambiguous and easy to interpret Enable an assessment of progress or not Neither so many as to confuse, nor so few as to

mislead Capable of support by reliable data that is

comparable over time Do not create perverse incentives

Indicators of extent and severity

Inclusive scope of types of violence, but not so specialised as to prevent comparison between countries

Meaningful measurement of the extent of the violence: both prevalence and number of incidents;

Meaningful measurement of severity of violence Consistent time period: both a longer period e.g. life-time

and a more recent period, e.g. last year Consistent population sub-set, e.g. age Consistent with indicators in adjacent fields, so as to

facilitate the mainstreaming of violence against women into mainstream data collection and policy development, while still being sensitive to the nuances in the specific field of violence against women.

Femicide?

‘Femicide’ has the advantage of power and simplicity

Derived from administrative sources so useful addition to survey data

But very few countries if any collect data that distinguishes between homicide that is gender-based from that which is not Technical issues of definition and practice to

develop

Premature, but worth developing.

Incidents and/or prevalence in intimate partner violence

Prevalence: rate (%) of violence against women in the female population

Incidents: number of incidents of violence against women per unit (e.g. 100, or 1,000) of female population

Intimate partner violence: incidents and gender (UK, BCS)

Women Men % against women

Ratio: Women: men

Victims 657,000 356,000 65% 1.8

Average number incidents per victim

20 7 2.9

Total incidents 12.9 million

2.5 million

84% 5.2

Gender implications of different measures

Prevalence is the least gender asymmetrical indicator Number of incidents more gender asymmetrical than

prevalence. domestic violence prevalence: 4% women, 2% men average no. incidents of dv.: women 20, men 7 incidents dv: 12.9 million against women, 2.4m men DV one incident: 28% women, 47% men

Injuries more gender asymmetrical than no. of incidents, since women more likely to be injured than men in each. Minor force, 49% women 36% men sustain physical

injury Severe force, 77% women 56% men sustain physical

injury

Indicator: Number of incidents of intimate partner violence

Advantages Does not produce spurious gender symmetry when

men are asked the same questions Easier to mainstream into adjacent policy fields

which use number of incidents - essential for funding

Disadvantages Not in common use in VAW community which

prefers to focus on the underlying ‘course of conduct’

Recommend: Priority use of ‘incidents’; also use prevalence as a

secondary indicator

Measuring extent of gender-based violence

Administrative statistics? Problems:

Most incidents not reported to services Reporting categories obscure gender-based

violence e.g. domestic violence rarely a ‘crime’

category, nor a ‘diagnostic code’ in health

Large scale survey Expensive But is only reliable source of data on extent

Measuring extent of gender-based violence e.g. British Crime Survey

Domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking Self-completion module

additional to main face-to-face interviews Confidentiality produces 5 times higher rate of

disclosure

Sample: 22,463 nationally representative Men as well as women Aged 16-59

Indicators of impact

Impact in its own terms: violence, abuse, pain and suffering

Impact as a violation of women’s human rights

Impact as a crime Impact as a detriment to health Impact as a cost to society

Why measure the cost?

Domestic violence has devastating impact Justice and fairness a sufficient basis for policy Drains resources of society as well as abused A financial dimension increases the ways

policies are articulated, measured and evaluated

Facilitates comparison with other policies in spending decisions

Mainstreams gender into mainline policy Evidence base for policy making

Cost of domestic violence in Britain: Methodological framework

Domestic violence (including domestic rape) in Britain Framework based on Home Office Research Study 217

by Brand and Price 2000 on the cost of crime Developed so as to include specific costs related to

domestic violence e.g. housing and refuges, social services, civil legal services.

Information needs Extent, nature and impact of domestic violence Costs of services, lost economic output, and public’s

willingness-to-pay to avoid human costs of pain and suffering.

Actual level of service use e.g. from reports from service providers.

Types of Cost

1. Use of services, often public services• Criminal justice system• Health care• Social services• Housing and refuges• Civil legal services (including legal aid)

2. Lost economic output, e.g. time off sick3. Human cost of pain and suffering,

based on public’s willingness-to-pay

Criminal Justice System

Cost: £1 billion 24% of cost of CJS for violent incidents 8% of total cost of CJS

Basis of estimate: Number of violent crimes recorded by police

London Met cross-classification of offences by dv or not

‘Non-crime domestic incidents’ recorded by police Domestic homicide: data from Criminal Statistics Cost of each type of incident, HO estimates

Flows and costs model for courts etc Police recorded time use in diaries

Health Care

Cost £1.4 billion £1.2 billion physical injuries, £176 million mental care e.g. depression

Estimates based on: DfT estimates of medical care costs of

injuries, used by HO Crime and injury association, HO practice Increased service use for mental health

(e.g. depression) associated with domestic violence

Social Services and Children

Cost £.25 billion Primarily for children caught up in co-

occurrence of domestic violence and child abuse

Estimates based on PSSRU data on social service costs for

children in need and being looked after 40% co-occurrence of domestic violence

and child abuse finding from other studies

Housing and refuges

Cost £.16 billion Housing those made homeless due to

domestic violence Local Housing Authority (+SL) costs,

estimates from CIPFA Refuges Housing benefit: LHA and refuges Loss of owner occupied housing Moving home

Civil Legal Costs

£.3 billion Half state (especially legal aid), half individual

Specialist legal actions e.g. injunctions to restrain or expel a violent partner

Legal actions for divorce and separation plus associated child custody, finances.

Estimates based on Judicial Statistics Lord Chancellors’ Dept Legal Services Commission (legal aid) Legal Aid Board Research Unit research

Economic Output

Cost £2.7 billion Half employer, half employee

Cost of time off work due to injuries Based on

DfT estimates for losses associated with injuries

Injuries associated with crimes, following HO practice

Number of people from British Crime Survey (Walby and Allen 2004)

Human and emotional costs

£17 billion Based on

Public’s ‘willingness-to-pay’ to avoid the pain and human suffering of injuries

DfT estimates for costs associated with injuries, as associated with crimes and used by HO

Number of people from the British Crime Survey (Walby and Allen 2004)

Total cost

Total Cost: £23 billion a year

State, £3.1 billion, for public services Lost economic output £1.3 billion by

employers, £1.3 billion by individuals Human and emotional costs, £17 billion

individuals

Indicators of policy performance Performance of services in prevention,

protection and provision of support State duty; is there a national plan?

Measure availability and quality of services E.g. is the legal framework adequate? How many

refuge places? Sexual assault services exist? Measure use of services?

Do they know whether people are using because of gbv (e.g. health)?

Monitor impact of services Develop indicators of best quantity and quality

of each service and total service provision

What has been achieved? What next? Measurement of extent

Many EU countries have had one survey, but very few have a series that measures changes over time

EU-wide survey of gender-based violence? Some discussion only

Agreement on indicators of extent? Suggested, not implemented: insufficient survey data

Measurement of impact: cost? Only a few countries; no EU-wide.

Measurement of policy performance Some targets for some basic services in some countries Some national plans Only just started

Two ReportsSylvia Walby and Jonathan Allen (2004) Domestic

Violence, Sexual Assault and Stalking: Findings from the British Crime Survey. Home Office Research Study 276. www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs04/hors276.pdf

Sylvia Walby (2004) The Cost of Domestic Violence DTI Women and Equality Unit. http://www.womenandequalityunit.gov.uk/research/cost_of_dv_Report_sept04.pdf.