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Assessment of economic costs of domestic violence in Croatia

Assessment of economic costs of domestic violence in Croatia. Prof. dr. D ean A jduković Society for Psychological Assistance. Project background.

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Assessment of economic costs of domestic violence in Croatia

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  1. Assessment of economic costs of domestic violence in Croatia Prof. dr. Dean AjdukovićSociety for Psychological Assistance

  2. Project background • Ministry of Family, Veterans Affairs and Intergenerational Solidarity has recognized the need to assess the economic costs of domestic violence (DV) • The project is implemented by the Society for Psychological Assistance • Countries that have evaluated DV costs estimate that they amount to up to 2% of the GDP • If this holds true for Croatia, annual cost of DV are about 900 million Eur

  3. Why is it important to estimate the costs of DV in a country? • Citizens become aware of the high costs of DV and that reduction of these costs could be directed towards other meeting other needs of families • Knowing cost of a single DV case has a positive psychological effect: it enhances citizens’ responsibility  ignoring family violence in their community has direct consequence on them as tax payers • It helps identify the cost of weak-points in society’s response that creates most of the costs (i.e. recurring perpetrators of very brutal violence)

  4. Once domestic violence is made public, a whole range of institutions is engaged • Police • Social welfare center • Misdemeanor (minor offence) court • State prosecution • Criminal court • Health system institutions • Schools • Family center • Counseling centers and victim help lines • Domestic violence victims shelter • Center for psychosocial treatment of perpetrators

  5. Other institutions and people also become involved: • Employment service center • Health insurance • Retirement funds • Institutions for retraining and education • Office for town-housing management • Employers • Informal social network (relatives, friends) • ….

  6. Each of these responses to exposed case of domestic violence has its cost!

  7. Even when DV remains hidden in the privacy of a family, costs are there • Greatest costs are borne by victims themselves • followed by family members • people close to the affected family • There are costs even when they are not recognized as a consequence of DV: • victims use health services more frequently • they are more often absent from work • children are more likely to have school difficulties • victims have problems with their parental role …

  8. Croatian resources • Resources for effective response to DV exist (but not sufficient) • There is a good legal framework for implementation of a range of sanctions towards perpetrators, for victim protection and support and treatment of perpetrators • There are difficulties in implementation of some parts of laws and other legal documents • There is clear and manifested political will to continuously fight DV

  9. But what does really happen in families affected by domestic violence? • Do they indeed receive what they need to continue living in safety without the risk of repeated violence? • What are the costs of the domestic violence?

  10. Goals of the domestic violence assessment project in Croatia • Determine the way in which society’s resources are activated in cases of domestic violence, and what is the outcome on stopping the domestic violence • Determine the costs of domestic violence including direct, indirect and hidden (intangible) costs

  11. Methods • Qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis (mixed methods) • A purposeful sample of 45 cases with court sentences from the end of 2010 and beginning of 2011 will be carefully selected • Cases ranging from minor to very severe violence • The sample will be completed with particularly brutal cases with no conviction yet if needed

  12. Methods • Longitudinal monitoring with three time points during the period of 12 or 18 months • Detailed data about the direct, indirect and hidden costs of DV will be collected for every sampled case • Sources of information: • victim • perpetrator • professionals from systems that have been involved with a specific DV case

  13. Source of Information: Victim • The victim will be interviewed about the event that triggered reporting and about past exposure to violent events and their consequence while in the relationship with the perpetrator • The emphasis will be on the frequency, severity and length of violence, consequences, systems’ response and services the victim requested and/or received from any source (formal or informal)

  14. Source of Information: Perpetrator • The perpetrator will be interviewed about the actions by the relevant services after violence which led to conviction, services used because of violence, and losses and problems at work due to the violence

  15. Source of Information: Professionals in the systems • Based on the information from the court, victim and perpetrator, services listed in the Rules of Procedures in Case of Family Violence will be contacted • Structuredinterviews with service providers to a particular case will be conducted • Same information will be gathered from other involved organizations: family center, NGO working with victims, victim shelter, perpetrator treatment center, legal counseling, psychological counseling, employment service, town-housing office …

  16. Second time point • After 6 months victims will be interviewed again to assess their current condition and the family situation • Data will be collected about interventions by first contact services in the meantime (police, social care, judiciary) as well as from other institutions and services • This will provide data about all interventions to stop the violence in a particular family in the period of 6 months since violence was “disclosed”

  17. Third time point • 12 to 18 months after first contact, accessible victims and perpetrators will be interviewed again, in order to asses changes family functioning, (non)presence of violent behaviors and services requested/received • Data from police, social services and courts regarding possible violence and family functioning will be collected • This will inform the assessment of the outcomes of responses to DV and the relative effectiveness of particular interventions from the user perspective

  18. Costs of Violence analysis: • Will include: • direct costs • indirect costs • hidden (intangible) costs estimation

  19. Analysis of direct costs • Two kinds of data will be obtained from all institutions and organizations involved in a particular case (police, courts, school, kindergarten, health clinic, emergency ambulance service, gynecologist, dentist, family center, employment services, city government, psychological counseling, legal counseling, victim shelter etc.): • Estimate of work hours and its values forinvolved providers • Estimate of material and equipment costs (standard costs for certain intervention already exist)

  20. Analysis of indirect costs • Based on the information from the victim and the perpetrator regarding losses in terms of job absence, sick-leave, insurance, compensations, losses because of incarceration, etc.

  21. Estimate of hidden (intangible) costs • Estimate based on information from the victim about: • amount of informal social support they needed and /or received • pain and emotional suffering • affected health due to violence • children’s educational problems due to violence • problems and frustrations regarding work • missed opportunities for financial prosperity • …

  22. Assessment of DV costs at the national level • Based on the detailed data about cost of a particular case of violence: • Costs for Croatia will be calculated based on the national representative data about prevalence, frequency and severity of DV, which is the objective of another project by the MFVAIS • Unit costs will be linked with data about the number of prosecuted DV cases, number of women that used shelters, and other services for victims and perpetrators

  23. Specifics of this DV cost assessment approach • Assessment of direct and indirect costs • Estimation of hidden costs • Identification of costs since reporting it and the sequence of service responses during the next 12 to 18 months (prospective monitoring) • Cost estimate and activation of resources for the family exposed to DV since initial violence (retrospective) • Consequent costs for the victim and the perpetrator • Unit costs calculation for the DV case and for the history of violence in the family will enable people to better understand how much tolerating violence costs

  24. Expected achievements • The picture of the real response to cases of DV of different severity from the perspective of the victim, perpetrator and relevant services • Knowledge of the consequences of such response and its effectiveness on family members’ safety • Estimated direct, indirect and hidden costs of domestic violence in Croatia • Established methodology for regular monitoring of change over time as it is done in EU member states

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