World Health Organization Gender and Women’s Health Toward a common set of indicators to measure violence against women Henrica A.F.M. Jansen, WHO UNECE Work Session on Gender Statistics, Geneva, October 2004

World Health Organization Gender and Women’s Health What this talk is about Prevalence of violence against women: possible sources of data Salient finding on to whom women talk about violence and the implications Definition and measurement of prevalence violence and implications of variations in this WHO definition and measurement of partner violence and some relevant findings Suggestions for measuring and presenting violence

World Health Organization Gender and Women’s Health How common is violence against women? Definition of Prevalence # women who have experienced abuse in a certain period of time “at risk” women in the study population

World Health Organization Gender and Women’s Health Records from police, courts, hospital, etc Population based surveys: National crime victimization surveys Demographic and reproductive health surveys Focussed specialized surveys Short module added to other surveys Sources for data on prevalence of VAW

World Health Organization Gender and Women’s Health To whom do woman talk about physical partner violence?

World Health Organization Gender and Women’s Health 1.Many women never talked about it before – implications for the interviewers 2.Very few women have talked with "formal services" – implications for value of these services as source of data

World Health Organization Gender and Women’s Health "Because I belong to this Herero culture, I can speak to my family about any form of violence except sexual violence. I had the chance in this study to talk with a stranger about what I was suffering. It helped me a lot, it took a burden away" (respondent in Namibia)

World Health Organization Gender and Women’s Health According to police records in Nicaragua, 3,000 women reported domestic violence in 1995 According to population based surveys 150,000 women suffered domestic violence in 1995 Service based data do not represent the actual situation in the population …

World Health Organization Gender and Women’s Health Service based records are not easy to interpret… In 1997 more than 8,000 cases were reported Did rates of violence increase? During this period special police stations for women were opened throughout the country, and media campaigns carried out

World Health Organization Gender and Women’s Health More services and better quality of care More women reporting violence BAD DATA IS WORSE THAN NO DATA !!

World Health Organization Gender and Women’s Health What about population-based data on prevalence of violence? Prevalence figures on violence are highly sensitive to methodological issues Population-based research on violence raises major issues of safety and ethics Results useful for understanding the magnitude and characteristics of violence

World Health Organization Gender and Women’s Health Challenges to developing a common set of indicators on violence against women 1. Enhancing comparability –How violence is defined –How is violence measured 2. Enhancing disclosure –Opportunities to disclose, context, skill of interviewers 3. Enhancing safety –privacy, special training for field staff, support for respondents and interviewers

World Health Organization Gender and Women’s Health Defining the study population Cutoff ages Marital / relationship experience Regional vs. national studies

World Health Organization Gender and Women’s Health CountryStudy population CanadaWomen > 18 ChileWomen married for >2 years ColombiaWomen currently married Nicaragua (DHS)Women ever married PhilippinesWomen with pregnancy outcome

World Health Organization Gender and Women’s Health WHO VAW study CountryStudy population BangladeshWomen ever married BrazilWomen ever married/cohabiting, currently dating PeruWomen ever married/cohabiting, ever dating

World Health Organization Gender and Women’s Health Effect of “study population” on reported prevalence estimates in Nicaragua Current physical violence All women % Ever married women % Currently married women % Formally married women %

World Health Organization Gender and Women’s Health Defining violence Who defines: the researcher or the respondent? Types of violence, severity Time frame Frequency Multiple perpetrators

World Health Organization Gender and Women’s Health Researcher vs. Self-Defined Rates of Past Year Abuse (Japan) Type of ViolenceResearcherSelf (percent) Any violence4527 Physical Emotional Sexual8.54.7

World Health Organization Gender and Women’s Health Has your partner ever..... (in the last 12 months has this happened once, a few times, many times?) WHO Study Slapped or threw something at that could hurt you? Pushed or shoved you or pulled your hair? Hit with his fist or with something else that could hurt you? Kicked, dragged or beat you up? Choked or burnt you on purpose? Threatened to use or actually used a gun, knife or other weapon against you? Moderate Severe

World Health Organization Gender and Women’s Health Lifetime and current physical partner violence (urban sites)

World Health Organization Gender and Women’s Health Measurement of sexual violence by partner WHO Study Were you ever physically forced to have sexual intercourse when you did not want to? Did you ever have sexual intercourse you did not want because you were afraid of what he might do? Ever force you to do something sexual that you found degrading or humiliating ?

World Health Organization Gender and Women’s Health Overlap lifetime physical and sexual violence PERU - CAPTHAILAND - CAP 29%20%3%11%12%18% phys violsex violphys violsex viol NAMIBIA - CAP 19%11%5% physical violsexual viol

World Health Organization Gender and Women’s Health Suggestions for measuring domestic violence Define the study population broadly Use behaviorally specific questions Specify discrete time frames (last year, ever) Cue respondent to different contexts and perpetrators Give multiple opportunities to disclose

World Health Organization Gender and Women’s Health Thank you!