Measuring violence: Indicators from the Italian violence against women survey

1. Measuring violence: Indicators from the Italian violence against women survey Maria Giuseppina Muratore Istat - Istituto Nazionale di Statistica

2. 1) Expert group on violence against women UNECE UNSD UNDAW, plus more experts Geneva, November 2007 Report on indicators on violence against women 2) Friend of the Chair Group on Violence against women Definition of indicators, approved by the Statistical Commission New York, February 2009 The international context

3. United Nations Indicators • Indicator 1 and 2 . Total and age-specific rate of women subject to physical violence in the last 12 months and during lifetime by severity of violence, relationship to perpetrator(s) and frequency • Indicator 3 and 4. Total and age-specific rate of women subject to sexual violence in the last 12 months and during lifetime by relationship to perpetrator(s) and frequency

4. United Nations Indicators • Indicator 5. Total and age-specific rate of women subject to sexual or physical violence by current or former intimate partner in the last 12 months by severity and frequency • Indicator 6. Total and age-specific rate of women subject to sexual or physical violence by current or former intimate partner during lifetime by severity and frequency • …………………………….. But many others

5. The Italian survey methodology • Since 2001 Istat and the Department for Equal Opportunities began to address the issue • Large sample size - 25.000 women aged between 16 and 70 • Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing • Respondents sensitization • Accurate selection and training of interviewers • Continuous daily monitoring (8 months) • Supervision and support during the interviews collection • Psychological support during training and fieldwork • Shelters address if women asked for help

6. Thinking to indicators Survey aims and indicators are strictly linked together Relations according specific characteristics of violence occurrence: • nature of violence • authors of violence • occurrence period • reference periods • the intensity of violence • severity • consequences • costs of violence • violence reporting • strategies to end violence • risk factors of violence (women, partner, micro and macro level) • ………………

7. Thinking to indicators • Purposes: phenomenon comprehension, quantification, legislative, policy evaluation…… • Types of indicators • General versus specific • National versus trans-national dimension

8. Some Italian issue • The nature of violence • Physical • Sexual • Psychological • Economic violence (partially) • Stalking from partner

9. Nature of violence - Physical violence • ranked from the less to the most serious one: • threat to be physically hit; • to be pushed, grabbed; • to be yanked or knocked with an object; • to be slapped, kicked, punched or • bitten; • attempted strangulation, of a choking, • burning; • threats with weapons.

10. Nature of violence -Sexual violence • One Indicators on violence prevalence • elaborates together physical and sexual • violence (per 100 women); • two more specifics • dealing exclusively with physical violence • (threats included) and sexual violence • many other indicators linked to different • violence forms. • rape; • attempted rape; • sexual physical harassment; • sexual intercourses with a third party; • undesired sexual intercourses, suffered for fear of consequences; • degrading and humiliating sexual activities (only for partner violence); • other sexual violence forms not included before

11. Nature of violence -Psychological violence • denigration • behaviour control • segregation strategies • intimidations • heavy financial restraint suffered by partner’s side

12. Nature of violence -Stalking • tried in a nagging way to talk to the woman against her will • repeatedly asked for appointments to meet her • waited for her outside home or at school or at work • sent messages, telephone calls, e-mails, mails or undesired presents • followed her or spied her • adopted other strategies

13. Author of violence • Current • Previous • Husband • Cohabitant • Fiancé Partner Non partner • Unknown persons • Acquaintances • Friends • Colleagues • Family friends • Relatives • Others

14. Occurrence period • partner violence • the period is identified by the relationship • non partner violence • since 16teen years old • before 16teen years old • forced sexual activities by everyone • physical violence by parents

15. Reference period • the life course • the 12 last months (before the interviews) • But many other periods can be used • before 20 years ago • 10-20 years ago • 5-10 years ago • the last five years.

16. Prevalence indicators examples Women aged 16 to 70 who have suffered physical or sexual violence by men, by period of happening, type of authors and type of violence - Year 2006 (per100 women with the same characteristics)

17. Partner violence Women between 16 and 70 years of age victims of physical or sexual violence by a partner, by perpetrator, moment in which the crime was perpetrated and typology of violence – Year 2006(per 100 women with the same characteristics)

18. Non partner violence

19. Forms of Physical violence by authorsLIFETIME

20. Forms of Sexual violence by authorsLIFETIME

21. Psychological violence (by current partner) 43,2% of women have suffered psychological violence, the 21,1% often or sometimes Restraining behaviours 46,7 Controlling behaviours 40,7 Economic violence 30,7 Downgrading 23,8 Intimidation 7,8 Very often psychological violence come together with physical violence

22. STALKING (by an ex partner) Women who suffered stalking by a partner when they were separating or after the separation are2.077.000,the18.8% (48,8% also violence)

23. Intensity of violence • More complex issue • How to ask numbers of incidents • Do women remember well? • Subjective dimension in quantifyingseries of incidents • How to count series of incidents

24. Intensity of violence • numbers of incidents • How many times did it happen? /_/_/ • don’t know/don’t remember • how often did it happen? • every day/almost every day; • one or more times a weeks (1-3); • one or more times a month (1-3); • one or more times a year; • only in particular periods of the year but in repetitively way; • don’t know/don’t remember; don’t answer/refuse”

25. Intensity of violence • Until now • rate of violence occurred more than once, by type of violence and type of offender, in the life course and in the 12 months • Working progress • indicator of frequency calculating the percentage of violence suffered “1, 2, 3, more than 3 times” • (where the last category includes also the answers related to “how often it happened”) • or • Indicator translating the number value, sometimes very high, for example 30, 45, 97 in the qualitative items.

26. Frequencies Violence Against Women Survey • Repeated violence occurs more frequently when the abuser is a partner than when it is a non-partner • lifetime • 67,1% against 52,9% • during the last 12 months • 54,0% against 38,2% Peak is reached in the case of sexual violence perpetrated by the current partner 91,1% of repeated violence

27. Violence Severity:subjective and objective measures • How serious was this incident for you at the time? • Were you physically injured? • Plus type of injuries ??? • Were you injured so badly that you needed medical care? • Did you feel that your life was in danger • Did you use psychological/psychiatric assistance • Stay away from work because of violence and number of days • Be unable to carry on daily activities and number of days

28. Severity …. Violence Against Women Survey Partner Non partner • Felt life in danger 21,3% 15,7% • Injuries 27,1% 15% • Alcohol/medication use to • cope with this experience 10% 7,6% • Psychological/psychiatric • assistance 11,3% 6,2% • Very / enough serious 64,2% 56,5%

29. Awareness

30. REPORT TO THE POLICE by type of violence and author

31. Severity …. • Possible construction of synthetic indicators • ranked items, factorial analysis • Possibility of ranking the screening questions • Use of frequency • Use of violence length (duration)

32. Violence Severity: Critics aspects • 1.Information on the last episodes • 2. Difficulty in interpreting single indicators • Due to the ambivalence/complexity of seriousness measure: • reporting behaviour • getting in touch with shelters or other specialised agency • use of alcohol or medication • Use of professional counselling to cope with violent experience • regarding to the incident as a crime • injuries

33. General versus Specific indicators • Specific indicators • different levels of geographical area • victims’ characteristics • age, civil status, level of education, professional status, etc…… • offenders’ characteristic Focusing on denominators choice

35. Just a look on risk factors: women’s characteristic Separated and divorced women are the most affected when considering the lifetime period, the young women when considering the last year Prevalence rates are higher: • women aged between 25 and 34 • women with a high level of education (high school or university degree) • managers, entrepreneurs and professional women, unemployed looking for a job, students, women in other occupation cathegory, employees Differences in victimization risk are to be considered with caution because they could hide different tendencies of women to talk about the suffered violence.

36. Just a look on risk factors: men’s characteristics Socio-demographic characteristics of perpetrator do not seem to be so important Much more importance have some behavioural aspects

37. Just a look on risk factors: men’s characteristics

38. Just a look on risk factors: men’s characteristics

39. Risk of violence: the main factors Partner characteristic Individual: • Partner violent also outside • Partner has a drunken (al least once a week 4.06 for physical violence, 8.5 for sexual violence) Context level • Violence witnessed in own family of origins • How consider woman (psychological violence) • Victim characteristic: • Individual • Sexual abuse in childhood • Context level • Violence witnessed in • own family of origins • Physical Violence • suffered by parents