The Development The Development Impacts of Gender-Impacts of Gender-

Based Violence: Based Violence: Exploring the Exploring the Bank’s RoleBank’s Role

Andrew MorrisonAndrew MorrisonLead Economist, Gender and Lead Economist, Gender and

DevelopmentDevelopmentWorld BankWorld Bank

October 24, 2005October 24, 2005

Development impacts Development impacts include:include:

Direct costs:Direct costs: goods and services goods and services provided to women, children and menprovided to women, children and men

Non-monetary costs:Non-monetary costs: pain, suffering, pain, suffering, ill-health and premature deathill-health and premature death

Economic costs:Economic costs: earnings, earnings, productivity and growthproductivity and growth

Social costs:Social costs: impact on children, inter- impact on children, inter-generational transmission of violencegenerational transmission of violence

Worldwide, more than nine million DALYs are lost annually because of rape

and domestic violence against women.

These are more DALYs than those lost for all types of cancer.

Source: Heise, Pitanguy y Germain, 1994.

Non-monetary costs

In Mexico City, violence In Mexico City, violence against women is the third against women is the third most important source of most important source of DALYs lost: DALYs lost:

Source: Lozano, 1999.

Illnesses and injuries Percentage of

total DALYs lost

Diabetes mellitus 8.1 Birth-related problems 7.9 Violence against women 5.6 Congenital anomalies 5.5 Rheumatoid arthritis 5.1 Ischemic heart disease 5.1 Cerebro-vascular disease 3.9 Traffic accidents 2.2

Severe physical violence: Severe physical violence: impact on earnings in impact on earnings in

Santiago, Chile Santiago, Chile

050100150200250300350400

SantiagoMean monthly earnings

Without abuse With abuse

US$

61%less

Source: Morrison and Orlando, 1999

Macroeconomic impact: Macroeconomic impact: foregone earnings foregone earnings

Chile: 2% of 1996 GDP Chile: 2% of 1996 GDP Nicaragua: 1.6% of 1996 Nicaragua: 1.6% of 1996

GDPGDP

Source: Morrison and Orlando, 1999

Recent evidence from three Recent evidence from three Colombian cities…Colombian cities…

Presence of domestic violence in the Presence of domestic violence in the home (against women or children) home (against women or children) lowers women’s earnings by 40%lowers women’s earnings by 40%

Domestic violence increases Domestic violence increases likelihood of women’s unemployment likelihood of women’s unemployment by 6.4 percentage pointsby 6.4 percentage points

Foregone earnings amounted to Foregone earnings amounted to 3.2% of 2003 GDP.3.2% of 2003 GDP.

Source: Ribero and Sanchez, 2005

Social multiplier costsSocial multiplier costs

Inter-generational transmission of Inter-generational transmission of violence: children exposed to violence: children exposed to violence between parents are violence between parents are almost 3 times more likely engage almost 3 times more likely engage in violence against their spouses in violence against their spouses (Ehrensaft et al., 2003)(Ehrensaft et al., 2003)

Other impacts on children: Other impacts on children: • behavioral problems, including behavioral problems, including

delinquencydelinquency• emotional problems such as anxiety and emotional problems such as anxiety and

angeranger• inter-personal difficulties: mistrust of inter-personal difficulties: mistrust of

others, poor social skillsothers, poor social skills• physical and health outcomes: low birth physical and health outcomes: low birth

weight, psychosomatic symptoms weight, psychosomatic symptoms • cognitive problems: poor school cognitive problems: poor school

performance (Klymchuk, 2005)performance (Klymchuk, 2005)

The bottom line….The bottom line….

Direct costsNon-monetary costsEconomic costsSocial costs

Gender-based violence is

a major barrier to economic

development

And the Bank’s role is…And the Bank’s role is… Not Not to duplicate what others do wellto duplicate what others do well

UNIFEM: Trust Fund to End Violence UNIFEM: Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, support for women’s against Women, support for women’s organizations organizations

WHO: Prevalence data, health sector WHO: Prevalence data, health sector guidelinesguidelines

UN Special Rapporteur and IACHR: urgent UN Special Rapporteur and IACHR: urgent appeals, fact-finding visits, annual reportsappeals, fact-finding visits, annual reports

Do no harm—the Hippocratic approach to Do no harm—the Hippocratic approach to development policydevelopment policy

Identify opportunities in areas where the Identify opportunities in areas where the Bank has a comparative advantageBank has a comparative advantage

Policy dialogue: Policy dialogue: support the development of support the development of comprehensive national or comprehensive national or local plans to address gender-local plans to address gender-based violence based violence At the national level:At the national level: PLANOVI in PLANOVI in

Costa Rica, HazPaz in ColombiaCosta Rica, HazPaz in Colombia At the state or municipal level:At the state or municipal level:

Santiago, ChileSantiago, Chile Among particular groups:Among particular groups:

indigenous communities in indigenous communities in GuatemalaGuatemala

Health sector operationsHealth sector operations Promote sector-wide policies on screening, Promote sector-wide policies on screening,

referral, documentation and counselingreferral, documentation and counseling Strengthen institutional screening and Strengthen institutional screening and

referral protocolsreferral protocols Train health care personnelTrain health care personnel Articulate public/private/NGO prevention Articulate public/private/NGO prevention

and treatment effortsand treatment efforts Change community norms on gender-Change community norms on gender-

based violence using a public health based violence using a public health approachapproach

Justice sector operationsJustice sector operations Improve laws and policiesImprove laws and policies

revision of civil, family and criminal coderevision of civil, family and criminal code legal tools such as protection orderslegal tools such as protection orders

Strengthen institutional responseStrengthen institutional response training training but also procedures, protocols and but also procedures, protocols and

modernizationmodernization Increase community mobilization in Increase community mobilization in

defense of women’s rights defense of women’s rights Legal training for key groupsLegal training for key groups NGO provision of legal aid and other NGO provision of legal aid and other

servicesservices Dissemination of new legislation Dissemination of new legislation

Education sector Education sector operationsoperations

Develop sectoral policy statement on Develop sectoral policy statement on sexual violence and harassmentsexual violence and harassment

Strengthen educational institutions’ Strengthen educational institutions’ response to gender-based violence response to gender-based violence trainingtraining codes of conductcodes of conduct counselingcounseling school-based prevention programs.school-based prevention programs.

Involve parents and the community in Involve parents and the community in monitoring safety in schools and monitoring safety in schools and decreasing tolerance for sexual decreasing tolerance for sexual harassment and violence harassment and violence