Transcript Italian experience on violence against women survey Giovanna Tagliacozzo the problem Violence is ... any form of violence act that cause physical, sexual, or psychological sufference…….privation of.

Italian experience on violence
against women survey
Giovanna Tagliacozzo
1
the problem
Violence is ...
any form of violence act that
cause physical, sexual, or
psychological
sufference…….privation of liberty
in public and private spaces
(United Nations World Conference,Vienna
1993)
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Different Violence Forms
Verbal (critics, humiliations,)
Psychological (downgrating,
blackmail, intimidation)
Economic
(control of
expenditure, no acces to money,
no information on income)
Stalking
physical
Sexual
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Violence authors
It can be perpetrated by an unknown
person, by a friend, a colleague, a relative
or by a parents
It is domestic violence when the author is a
partner, an husband, a cohabitant, a fiancé
or a former partner
Generally it’s repeated along years
It’s characterized by escalation and
has an own cycle
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Violence and, above all, violence in the
family is still an underreported and an
understudied social problem
 Women rarely disclose what has happened to them
and even more rarely
 they report to the police
 they seek for help in the crisis centres or in other social
services
Official data gathered with criminal statistics do not provide
enough evidence on violence against women. Especially in
cases of domestic violence
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Violence in criminal statistics
• Few data in register statistics
- Police statistics
Increasing of reported sexual violence since
the 1996, age of the new law on sexual
violence (crime against the person; no more
against the morality)
1996 1997
1998 1999
2000
2001
2002
2003 2004 * 2005 2006 2007 2008
1151
1846
2336
2447
2543
2744
1582
1904
*historical series interruption since 2004
3734
4020
4513 4897 4893
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And …
• The rate of sexual violence reported to the police
is absolutely low
• Only the 7% delle donne report the violence
suffered in the life course
• only 9% in the last 3 years
• it increases to 15,5% when the offender is
a stranger
• it decreases to 4% if the offender is a
known person
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We have data from victimization
survey (Citizens’s safety survey
1997-1998, 2002, 2008)
But they potentially understimate the partner
violence
Because:
• The contest is that of crime
collections
• Victim have to be aware
• The perception of the partner is
negative, as a criminal
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To learn about violence against women
(with regard to its prevalence, incidence
rate and nature)
Information should be gathered from those
directly involved (i.e. women), who are asked
about their lives
Only surveys on domestic violence can
achieve this aim
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The contribution of violence
against women surveys
• To highlight the hidden phenomenon of
violence
• To break mytes and sterotypes on
violence
• To stimulate the culture debate
• To sensityze public opinion
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Critical issues
Differerent perception:
• Linked to different culture, social and
geographical background
• Sensitivity of the topic:
• Fear to disclosure, guilty feeling, fear to be
perceveid as coresponsible, fear of being
punished
• Memory effect:
• forgetting, removal, difficulty to place the
event in the right timing (telescoping effect)11
The beginning of the survey
From a sensitization process:
 of research comunity
 of society
From an agreement
 Istat and Departement of Equal
Opportunities
Responding to international debate
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and ……
• Women desire to disclosure their violence
experience
• More open attitude to reveal
• The need to measure the hidden
phenomenon
• Tabù e Stereotypes
• How to help women
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Starting points
• To look at exisisting surveys in other countries (statics
Canada, NVAWS –Usa, finnish, IVAWS, WHO)
But ….
• Attention to the real possibility to use the same
methodologies over different countries
• At the presence of different cultural contexts
• Different meanings given to violence and their different
forms
• Study of research feasibility, in the own context
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The research aims to address several
aspect of violence against women:
• Prevalence and incidence rate of different types of
violence
a specific attention has domestic violence
by current or former partner
–
–
–
–
psychological
economical
physical
sexual
• Characteristics of those involved and characteristics,
consequences and costs of violence, the history of
violence
• Risk and protective factors related to individuals as
well to socio-demographical domain
• The every day life context in which violence can arise15
Surveys on violence against women are
complex: need to address sensitive issues
Need methodological and procedural dedicated tools
that help women to disclosure and beforehand to
recognize what is violence in her life.
Focus on:
• variables measured
• way of posing questions
• funnelling effects
• use of specific terms
• specific training of interviewers
• social perception of the problem of violence against
women
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Characteristics of Surveys
 Use of large and representative samples of the
population
 Use of validated instruments and appropriate
methodology
 Use of standardized procedures
 Periodically repeated, approx. every five year
 Focus on quality beside quantity
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The survey
- strategies
Pre-test
On the pretrial version of the
questionnaire, on 78 women, 11 of
whom from crisis centres
Focus groups
carried out with:
- abused women (2)
- shelters’ workers (6)
- interviewers with experience on
victimization surveys (1)
- women from 18 to 70 years old
different from those of the above
groups (1)
Interviews to
key
professionals
legal and social experts working in
the field of violence against women,
lawyer, judge, policeman …
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Regarding: Content of the questionnaire
• What is domestic violence (especially psychological
violence)
• Different expressions of violence (Economical violence, Psychological
violence, Physical violence, Sexual violence)
• How women deal with violence, which is their perception
• Early precursors of dv, cycle violence
• The attribution of responsibility
• Risk factors
• Consequences of violence
• The role of children or of other push in reporting or going
out of violence
• Prejudices and stereotypes
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Regarding:
Procedural methods
• How to gain women’s faith (for the training
of interviewers)
• Feelings experienced from women as regards
the survey
• Characteristics of interviewers
• The emotional impact on interviewers
• What to ask and how
• Wording and sequence
• How to introduce the study
• Length of the interview
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Results
- Methodology
How to approach the
woman
To motivate on Importance of the study
Find the best time for her (with no partner in the house)
Timetable of interviews
from 9am to 9pm, Monday to Friday
from 9am to 7pm on Saturday
Possibility to make an appointment and to call to a
mobile phone to augment privacy
Reassure about privacy issues/anonymity
Create a good climate of confidence and faith
Toll free number (to reassure, to have information, to
give more information to be found, as “alarm bell”)
Letter signed by Istat president presidente (to
reduce the refusal rate)
Restitution
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Wording and the questionnaire design
•Funnelling effect
• Different types of crime analysed are presented with a screening
procedure which helps to focus the attention on both the type of
violence as well as on all possible authors
• The language adopted should be clear and not redundant
• Questions should also adopt sentences not using jargons or other
unclear questions.
•No name it ‘VIOLENCE’
• The type of violence is defined in a way that women can remember and
reflect their lives as if in a mirror
• Ask gradually about violence
• The questions measuring violence should be included gradually
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Go in gradually into the relationship with the female interviewer
• Ask questions on the every day life, leisure time, social networks, health,
before those on violence
Repeat the screening of physical and sexual violence for the actual and the
former partner
Insert the questions on violence from the partner in the section on the
partner’s characteristics, after having asked about the relationship and the
psychological violence battery
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Revision of the
questionnaire
2004 pilot survey on 1.000
women 16-70 years old
The Pilot Survey:
 Survey feasibility
 Some critical aspects:
Survey organization
Interviewers selection
Interviewers training
Sample
Monitoring phase
Results of the survey
quality
Focus group
small test on 200 interviews
2006 full fledged survey
on 25.000 women
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Interviewers Selection
Interviewers were chosen based on the following:
The Pilot Survey:
Survey organization
Interviewers
selection
Interviewers training
Monitoring phase
Sample
Results of the survey
quality
– Female;
– Minimum 24 years old;
– Comfortable discussing issues related to
violence against women;
– Sensitivity and maturity;
– Professional experience in CATI surveys as well
as in dealing with cases of violence (according
to the type of the group);
– Prior experience in handling similar sensitive
research studies;
– Listening skills, empathy, no counselling;
– Probing, no judgment;
– Warm tone of voice that helps creating a
positive climate;
– Capacity to keep adequate detachment;
– Skills to elaborate own emotions and to handle
unexpected situations;
– Motivation
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Interviewers Training
6 days of theoretical training
From 9am to 2pm
About the subject
The Pilot Survey:
Survey organization
About the
Methodology
Interviewers selection
- sexual violence
- domestic violence
- emotional abuse and
psychological violence
- risk factors - consequences
- how to recognize it .......
- how to read the question
- how to codify the answer
- the sample
- the contact procedure ......
Interviewers training
Sample
Monitoring phase
Results of the survey
quality
About the emotion
- how to handle them
- no counsellor
- warm tone of voice
- learning the detachment and
empaty ........
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Monitoring phase
• Help assistance during the entire
collection phase
• Every day quality indicators (refusal
rate, contact/non contact rate,
appointment rate, average lenght ...)
The Pilot Survey:
Survey organization
Interviewers selection
Interviewers training
Monitoring phase
Sample
Results of the survey
quality
–
–
–
–
For interviewers
For interviewer group
For time of calls
At local level
• Debriefing with interviewers every
week
• Psychological support
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Sample
1. Design
- two stages random sample stratified at the first
stage
2. First stage
- households present on the official list of
telephone subscribers
3. Stratification criterion
The Pilot Survey:
Survey organization
Interviewers selection
Interviewers training
Monitoring phase
Sample
Results of the survey
quality
- Stratus variable: region and type of municipality
4. Size
- 25.000 household selected all over the country
and a sample for possible substitution
(territorial criterion of proximity)
5. Second stage
- Women aged 16-70 years old
6. Selection criterion
- Random selection between eligible women
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Resources
 Multidisciplinary approach of research team
 Psychologist (1 or 2)
 Sociologist (2)
 Statisticians (2)
Since 2 years before the survey
 Female interviewers well recruited and well trained at the
aim to be supportive but not a counsellor (65 for a period of
8 months)
 Costs of telephone interview: 20 euro each interview
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Main results
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The figures of violence
6.743.000 women aged 16-70 have
suffered physical or sexual abuse
31,9% of women 16-70
18,8% physical abuse
24,7% sexual abuse
4,7% rape or attempted rape
14,3% by partner
24,7% by non partner
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Prevalence of domestic and non
domestic violence
Partner
Non
Partner
(From
the age
of 16)
Partner
and/ or
non
partner
The 69,7%
of rape
by31,9
Physical
or sexual abuse
14,3 are made
24,7
Physical
abuse
12,0
9,8
18,8
partner
Sexual abuse
6,1
20,4
About
the 63%
of2,4physical
Rape and attempted
rape
2,9
violence is made by a partner
23,7
4,8
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Forms of physical violence
PUSHED OR GRABBED YOU
WISTEDSpinta/afferrata/strattatonata/storto
YOUR ARM
braccio/tirato
OR PULLED un
YOUR
HAIR i capelli
56,6
essere colpita
THREATENEDMinacciata
to hurt di
you
fisicamente
physically
52,0
Schiaffeggiata, presa a calci, a
SLAPPED, KICKED, BIT OR HIT
pugni o morsa
YOU WITH A FIST
36,1
Colpita con un oggetto o tirato
THROWN SOMETHING AT YOU
qualcosa
OR HIT
24,6
Usato o minacciato di usare una
used or threatened to use a
o un coltello
KNIFE OR GUN pistola
on you
8,1
PHYSICALLY
VIOLENT
Violenza
fisica in untowards
modo diverso
you in a different way
5,9
Tentato di strangolarla, soffocarla,
STRANGLE
OR SUFFOCATE YOU,
BURN OR SCALD ustionarla
5,3
0,0
10,0
20,0
30,0
40,0
50,0
60,0
70,0
80,0
90,0
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Forms of sexual violence
Unwanted touching
molestie fisiche sessuali
79,5
Unwanted sexual
intercourse
rapporti
sessuali indesiderati
suffered as violence
vissuti come violenza
Attempted rape
Rape
19,0
14,4
tentato stupro
9,6
stupro
Partner coercion to do something
rapportidegrading
sessuali degradanti
sexual that you find
or
umilianti
humiliating
in modo
Sexual violenceviolenza
in asessuale
different
diverso
way
costretta ad avere rapporti
To be forced tosessuali
have
with
consex
altre persone
others
0
6,1
3,3
1,6
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
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Violence outside the partnership
Physical
or
sexual
abuse
Physical
abuse
Sexual
abuse
Rape or
attempte
d rape
12,8
6,7 present
8,5
2,3
The same framework
is
for
Relatives
2,1
1,7
0,5
0,2
sexual violence
164,3years.1,2
Acquaintance
6,3 before
2,6
A known person
1,7
The 6,6% of women 3,0
had been1,6victimized,
the0,5
A family friend
0,4
0,1
0,3
0,1
author of violence was:
Friends
Work colleagues
Strangers
• a relative
• an
Total
2,6
0,8
15,3
in the 23,8%
of 3,6
cases
2,1
0,3
13,4
0,7
other known persons
in9,8the 24,7%
24,7
20,4
• an unknown persons for the 24,8% of
Total (absolute value in
victims
5.221
2.062
4.305
thousands)
2,9
35
610
Psychological violence (BY THE
CURRENT PARTNER)
43,2% of women have suffered
psychological violence, the 21,1%
often or sometimes
Restraining behaviours
46,7
Controlling behaviours
40,7
Very often psychological
Economic
violence
30,7
violence
come together with
physical violence
Downgrading
23,8
Intimidation
7,836
STALKING
(BY AN EX PARTNER)
Women who suffered stalking by a partner when
they were separating or after the separation
are 2.077.000, the 18.8%
Tries to talk to her
68.5
Asks for dates
61.8
Waits for her outside home/office/school
57.0
Sends letters, e-mail, unwanted gifts, calls by
phone etc.
55.4
Follows her, spys upon her
40.8
Other
11.0
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
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The seriousness of partner violence
Very or enough serious
Injuries
Fear of life dangerous
64,2
27,2
21,3
How do you consider the violence suffered?
A crime
Something wrong but not a crime
Only something that is happened
18,2
44,0
36,0
Even for rape and attempted rape, only
The26,5%
sameoftrend
is forregards
non partner
the victims
the
violence,
if less accentuated
incidenteven
as a crime
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Victims’ silence
Not reported abuses
in a partnership
outside a partnership
93,8%
92,5%
95,6%
Even for rape and attempted rape, the dark
figure is broad
93,3%
Furthermore, a lot of women don’t talk to
anyone about violence
30,5%
in a partnership
outside a partnership
33,9%
24,0%
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Victims’ silence
Partner violence
Physical Sexual
violence violence
Actual Former
partner partner
Total
Reporting
behaviour
yes
7.5
4.8
3.5
9.4
7.2
No
92.5
95.2
96.5
90.6
92.8
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Talking about violence
Partner
No one
33,9%
Friends
36,9%
Family members
32,7%
Partner
Other relatives
9,5%
Judges, lawyers, police
4,9%
Work colleagues, boss etc.
4,2%
Social services agents
3,9%
Physicians, nurses, first aid workers
3,7%
Women’s centre, Crisis centre
2,8%*
Non partner
24,0
41,0
32,2
23,9
7,2
2,2
8,6
0,8
1,3
2,4
* Data does not include victims who suffered only one incident in which
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they have been threatened or bitten or grabbed
The consequences of domestic
violence
1.572.000 women during their life suffered repeated violence by
their partner. For this reason among them suffered of:
loss of confidence and self esteem
helplessness
troubles in sleeping
anxiety
depression
troubles in concentration
recurrent pains in different parts of the body
troubles in taking care of children
self injuries, suicide intentions
48,8%
44,9%
41,5%
37,4%
34,8%
24,3%
18,5%
14,3%
12,3%
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…..In conclusion
• Many things can be done to achieve good data,
taking into account the social and cultural context
of each specific country
• It’s important to guarantee a periodicity of the
surveys in order to assure the regular monitoring
of the level and characteristics of the violence
• Also at international level, even if data are not
completely comparable, data are very useful to
monitor the trend
• Policies can be developed based on the
knowledge built trough the surveys
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