Intimate Partner Violence High Costs to Households and Communities Acknowledgments ICRW gratefully acknowledges the funding and generous support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The two-year project was implemented by the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW); the Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC) in Kampala, Uganda; the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) in Dhaka, Bangladesh; and Hassan II University Mohammedia-Casablanca in Morocco. The following individuals participated in the Cost of Violence study: Nata Duvvury, Aslihan Kes, Swati Chakraborty and Noni Milici from ICRW; Sarah Ssewanyana, Frederick Mugisha and Winnie Nabiddo from Uganda; M.A. Mannan, Selim Raihan and Simeen Mahmud from Bangladesh; and Rahma Bourqia, Kamal Mellakh, Ibenrissoul Abdelmajid, Mhammed Abderebbi, Rachida Nafaa, Jamila Benghamouch, Tariq El Allami, Abdelmajid Bouziane from Morocco. Design: Dennis & Sackett Design, Inc. Cover photo by Johnette I. Stubbs © 2009 International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). All rights reserved. Selections of this document may be reproduced without the express permission of but with acknowledgment to ICRW and UNFPA. Introduction iolence against women is globally acknowledged Bangladesh, Morocco and Uganda are particularly as a basic human rights violation and a funda- relevant countries for this study. Despite their diverse Vmental obstacle to the achievement of gender economic and social profiles, intimate partner violence equality. Violence against women also increasingly is prevalence is high in all three countries. At the same seen as a development issue with severe consequences time, recognizing the importance of a comprehensive to economic growth. response to intimate partner violence, these countries recently rolled out innovative programs, coupled with In a dynamic policy environment, strong evidence on strong legislative initiatives, to address it. the economic costs of violence against women is crucial to underscore the significant consequences of inaction. Overall, the study’s cost analysis points to high out-of- Though a number of studies have analyzed violence in pocket costs to women as well as significant costs to terms of its direct and indirect costs, these analyses have service providers for intimate partner violence cases. been limited largely to developed countries. In develop- These high costs underscore the urgency of the problem ing countries, the few studies on the costs of violence not just as a human rights issue, but also as a drain on have focused on the macro level, generally in terms of resources that can ripple through households to the analyzing costs to national governments, rather than community and society at large. analyzing more immediate costs to individuals, house- holds and communities. Of interest, the study also found that women’s use of services—such as those provided through health care To fill this gap, ICRW and its partners, Bangladesh or justice systems—to be quite low relative to reported Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), Economic prevalence. Moreover, in Bangladesh and Uganda, the Policy Research Centre (EPRC) in Uganda and Hassan II study found that women tend to access community- University in Morocco, with support from UNFPA, under- based conflict resolution mechanisms rather than more took a three-country study in Bangladesh, Morocco and formal avenues of justice. Because the study did not Uganda to estimate the economic costs of intimate address the quality of these mechanisms, little is known partner violence at the household and community lev- about their effectiveness. els, where its impact is most direct and immediate. The focus on intimate partner violence was motivated by These findings provide important insights for policy- the fact that this is the most common form of violence makers and decision makers in Bangladesh, Morocco against women. A household and community level and Uganda on the appropriate action and level of analysis helps to shed light on intimate partner vio- resources needed to address violence against women, lence’s relationship to both household economic vulner- particularly intimate partner violence. The methodol- ability and the extent to which scarce public resources ogy tested and refined through the current study also for essential health, security and infrastructure services provides a blueprint for estimating costs of intimate are diverted due to such violence. partner violence in additional settings. Intimate Partner Violence—High Costs to Households and Communities 1 Country Policy Contexts Bangladesh interests in the society. 5 Rape is a criminal offense, but there is no provision of marital rape unless the wife is A highly patriarchal society, Bangladesh is mired by younger than 13. 6 gender inequalities in both public and private spheres. Within households, women are highly dependent on In most cases, family law encourages parties to settle men who control resources and mediate women’s their own differences without going to court. Women extra-household relationships. Women have low literacy are generally unaware that they can access legal aid rates and, despite increased presence in labor markets, provided by the public sector; even if they know about 7 continue to occupy low paid jobs. The country has the it, the aid procedure is complicated. The Ministry on highest rate of early marriage in Asia with more than Women and Children Affairs has measures to eliminate half of the women marrying before age 15. 1 Intimate violence against women but these efforts are under- partner violence against women is highly prevalent; mined by poverty, lack of proper understanding of the 58 percent of ever-partnered women report having rights of women, weak enforcement of the laws, and experienced it in their lifetime. 2 above all widespread corruption within the justice system itself. 8 A new encouraging initiative is the Although the Bangladeshi constitution guarantees Multi-Sectoral Program on Violence against Women, a equal rights for men and women in the public sphere, joint program by the governments of Bangladesh and this guarantee does not extend to the private sphere, Denmark, carried out across six partner ministries. The which is governed by personal law based on religion— specific objectives of the program are to (1) improve the Shari-at. 3 Further, although the government has public services such as health, police assistance, criminal made strides in amending and promulgating acts and justice and social services for victims of violence, and ordinances to safeguard the legal rights of women, (2) increase public awareness on all forms of violence gaps remain, including on the issue of intimate partner against women. One-Stop Crisis centers in all six divi- violence. Such violence has yet to be recognized as a sional cities were formed under this initiative. specific offense and for the most part is covered by the provisions of the Penal Code. 4 The Cruelty to Women and Children (Deterrent Punishment) Ordinance of 2003 Morocco and 2004 is broader in its scope, safeguarding women’s Although considered a middle-income country, some of Morocco’s social indicators reflect those of a low-income 1 http://www.measuredhs.com/aboutdhs/pressroom/Release_ country. For instance, female literacy in rural areas is archives/050824-bangladesh.cfm. 2 García-Moreno C, Jansen HA, Ellsberg M, Heise L, Watts C, WHO Multi- country Study on Women’s Health and Domestic Violence against Women. 5 Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), 2008. “Estimating Initial results on prevalence, health outcomes and women’s responses, the Costs of Intimate Partner Violence in Bangladesh” Bangladesh Geneva, Switzerland, World Health Organization [WHO], 2005. in-country research report (unpublished manuscript). 3 FAO et al, 2004b; Action Aid and IFSN, 2005. 6 The legal age for marriage is 18 for girls and 21 for boys. However, about 4 Dowry-related violence is the most thoroughly addressed issue, covered half of all girls are married by the age of 15, and 60 percent become by the provisions of the Dowry Prohibition Act (1980), and the Cruelty mothers by the age of 19. against Women (Deterrent Punishment) Ordinance (1983 amended in 7 FAO et al, 2004b; Action Aid and IFSN, 2005. 2003). 8 Salma Khan, http://www.hurights.or.jp/asia-pacific/040/02.htm. 2 Intimate Partner Violence—High Costs to Households and Communities © Don Hinrichsen/UNFPA only 10 percent. 9 On the other hand, Moroccan women or sexually assaulting a woman. There are, however, are active participants in the labor markets. In 2000, several weaknesses to the legal framework, such as legal about 21 percent of women were employed in salaried plurality, where both statutory and religious law are jobs, one of the highest in the Arab world. 1 0 The govern- recognized but sometimes contradictory. Also, the law ment has a strong commitment to addressing gender is applied more leniently when the crime is committed disparities and is one of 20 countries that participated by a husband against his wife, and women need to have in an initiative to develop gender responsive budgets— witnesses as well as a hospital report to prove violence. both at the national and local levels. 1 1 These loopholes, combined with the overall social accep- tance of violence, translate to low reporting. A wife has The country’s constitution states that all Moroccans are the right to file a complaint with the police for battery equal before the law and guarantees men and women and other abuse; however, she is unlikely to do so unless 1 2 equal political rights. The family law Moudawana was she is prepared to bring criminal charges. 1 5 reformed, raising the minimum age of marriage for women from 15 to 18, making both spouses responsible A number of government programs and government- for the family, rescinding a wife’s duty to be obedient civil society organization partnerships are in place to to her husband, and placing the practice of polygamy increase public awareness on violence against women under the control of the judiciary.