Transcript Italian survey on violence against women Maria Giuseppina Muratore Work Session on Gender Statistics Geneva 19 October 2004

Italian survey on
violence against
women
Maria Giuseppina Muratore
Work Session on Gender Statistics
Geneva 19 October 2004
Violence against women exists in
all societies, in all cultures and
religions and in all social classes.
The problem
Italian background
Italian steps in IVAWS
Questionnaire and
methodology revision
The Pilot Survey
To understand it, we have to accept
it as a dimension of “normal
relationaships”
......
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
From the Italian Victimization survey it
emerges that
• The rate of sexual
violence reported to
the police is absolutely
low 12,3%
• it increases to 15,5%
when the offender is a
stranger
• it decreases to 4% if
the offender is a known
person
% of violence
reported
Type of
violence
During
the life
course
In the
last three
years
Rape
17,8
32,8
Attempted
rape
6,9
1,2
Source: Citizen’s Safety Survey 1997-1998
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 dedicated surveys on domestic
violence can achieve this aim
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.
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 arise
The Italian Experience and the
focus on Domestic Violence
• This dedicated survey is the first one of this kind in
Italy
• Since 2001 Istat and the Department of Equal
Opportunities began to address the issue
• And at the same time, in 2000 -2001 began the
IVAWS Project coordinated by Heuni Unicri
Statistics Canada
• Project to whom Italy (through Istat ) partecipate
» But some criticism
Some doubts about the Italian
context:
•
Survey Feasibility:
– are women and the comunity
ready to deal with violence
matter?
•
Women availability:
– Are women ready to answer …
The problem
Italian background
Italian steps in IVAWS
Questionnaire and
methodology revision
The Pilot Survey
•
Women disclosure:
– Are women ready to open
themselves and to speak about
their violence experience
(if any)
Need to study more and deeply
the questionnaire and the
methodology so…..
IVAWS in Italy: steps in
summary
• Ivaws pilot test of the first version of the
questionnaire on a rather small number of
women (78) (May 2002)
• Qualitative phase
The problem
– Focus group and interviews to key
professionals (October 2002 – April 2003)
Italian background
Italian steps in
IVAWS
Questionnaire and
methodology revision
The Pilot Survey
Questionnaire and methodology revision
• Pilot survey
(April – July 2004)
• Full fledged surve on 30.000 women 2005
Procedure of the qualitative phase
Sample: 6 Focus Groups
• Workers in shelters for women victims of
violence (2 groups)
• Women victims of domestic violence (2 group)
• Women from the community (1 group)
• Interviewers who have already had experience in
victimisation surveys (1 group)
Plus 1 group interview with legal and social
experts working in the field of violence against
women
Procedure
• Each focus group was conducted with two
psychologist and was video/audio recorded and then
transcribed
• According to the group, different questions were
posed, with the aim of learning about:
Content of the questionnaire
Procedural methods
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
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
Some results
about contents and procedural methods
Psychological violence
• Most forms are not evident (threatening, downgrading,
intimidation, limitation of freedom, excessive jealousy)
• Women rarely recognized it as violence
• Furthermore it’s not visible from a social point of view, so
it’s difficult for women to speak about it and give vent to
owns feeling
• It’s culturally accepted that a woman has not to be
autonomous thoughts, that she has to do what her
husband is asking; or that she is or thinks to be what her
husband tell her.
• It could be measured considering the different aspects of
the daily life
IVAWS questionnaire
•
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Now, I would like to ask about some situations that can happen
in relationships. Would you say your husband/partner/
boyfriend:
Gets angry if you speak with other men?
Is supportive towards your work or studies or other activities taking
place outside the home
Tries to limit your contact with family and friends?
Follows you or keeps track of your whereabouts in a way you find
controlling or frightening?
Calls you names, insults you or behaves in a way to put you down or
to make you feel bad?
Damages or destroys your possessions or property or your animals?
Is constantly suspicious that you have been unfaithful?
Insists on knowing who you are with and where you are at all times?
Harms or threatens to harm your children?
Harms or threatens to harm someone else close to you?
from the focus group
11 Is he willing to talk with you and exchange your
opinions?
12 He criticizes you for the way you look, dress, for
instance by telling you that you are not very attractive,
ugly, inadequate?
13 He criticizes you for the way you raise your child, look
after the house or cook, for example by telling you that
you are not a good mother or that you are incompetent
14 He checks how much you spend?
15 He forces you what to wheare, how to arrange your
hair, how to behave in public?
Economic violence
• no access to bank account
• no info on family income
• not allowed to work
from the focus group
E18
Do you have any bank or post account registered under
both your name and your husband/cohabiting
partner/boyfriend?
E19
Do you have a credit card, a cash card, or cheque book
that you can use on your joint account or on the account
in your husband/cohabiting partner/boyfriend name?
Risk/escalating factors
•
•
•
•
•
Marriage
Pregnancy
Social-family events
Different perception on children education
Each time the woman shows she wants to
‘leave’ – flee.
from the focus group
G32
Do you recall any particular circumstance that irrupted
caused the violence of your partner?
Other questions on violence history
Consequences
•
•
•
•
•
•
Lower self-esteem
Guilt feelings
Depression
Loss of faith in relationship
Sense of insecurity
Not talking to others
G13
D15
D30
from the focus group
Subsequently to this episode, did you have to give up your
daily routine?
Subsequently to this episode, did you have to stay away
from work?
Subsequently to this episode, has something changed in
your attitude?
Social context/attitudes
• Violence by partners enables gradually to isolate from
the outside world
– Families that want to protect themselves or they feel they can not provide any support.
– A working activity that has been interrupted or prevented.
– Absence of any friendship network
•Role of stereotypes that affect women and those involved
•Denial/minimisation of severity
•Indifference
•Not really serious if women don’t leave or don’t report
•Private matters
from the focus group
B19
D28
Do you have friends, relatives, or other people with whom you
can talk of yourself, who you trust on whom you can rely if
needed?
…… did you ever talk to someone else about what has
happened ……?
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
Questionnaire revision
• B16 –B21
– Ask questions on the every day life, leisure time, social
networks, health, before those on violence
To Go in gradually into the relationship with the female
interviewer
• C, E or Ebis, F
– Repeat the screening of physical and sexual violence for
the actual and the former partner
The problem
Italian background
Italian steps in IVAWS
Questionnaire and
methodology revision
We decided to reintroduce again the screening on partners
and former partners to facilitate disclosure
• Posticipation in E section
– We inserted 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
• D - More details about last episode of violence
The Pilot Survey
• G - More details about last episode violence
and history violence
Questionnaire
• A. Control form
• B. Marital status and respondent characteristics
• C. Experience of violence by non partners
• D. Non-partner victimisation report
• E. Characteristics of current intimate partner and
partner experience of violence
The problem
Italian background
Italian steps in
IVAWS
Questionnaire and
methodology revision
• Ebis. Characteristics of the last partner and
experience of violence (if there isn’t an actual
partner)
• F. Experience of violence by previous partners and
characteristics of the violent previous intimate
partner
• G. Partner/previous partner victimisation report
• H. Mother and partner abuse history and
childhood victimisation
• I. Conclusion
The Pilot Survey
• L. Quality section
Methodology revision
• How to approach the woman
• Characteristics of interviewers
• Context of the interview
The problem
More attention on:
Italian background
Survey organization
Italian steps in IVAWS
Interviewers selection
Questionnaire and
methodology revision
Interviewers training
Women Safety
The Pilot Survey
Interviewers burn out
The pilot survey
Survey organization
Interviewers selection
Interviewers training
The problem
Italian background
Sample
Italian steps in IVAWS
Monitoring phase
Questionnaire and
methodology revision
Results of the survey quality
The Pilot Survey
Survey organization
Type of interviewers: two groups
– one group with more expertise in the CATI
method (8)
– a second group of women working in shelters for
battered women (7)
• Type of interviewer’s payment
– hours worked (included the payment during the
training phase)
The Pilot Survey:
Survey organization
Interviewers selection
Interviewers training
Monitoring phase
Sample
Results of the survey
quality
• 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
• Toll free number and mailing
• Reasercher team
– psichologists during the training and the
collection data phase
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
Interviewers Training
6 days of theorical training
From 9am to 2pm
About the suject
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, communicating
skills
- learning the detachment and
empaty ........
Interviewers Training
Traning instrument:
Lessons, videos, practice, roleplayings ….
• 2 days of technical training
The Pilot Survey:
Survey organization
– From 9am to 5.30pm
how to handle with:
Interviewers selection
Interviewers training
• CATI system
Monitoring phase
• the appointment technique
Sample
• the recall system
Results of the survey
quality
• Trial calls
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
Sample
1. Design
- two stages random sample stratified at the first
stage
2. First stage
- households present on the ufficial 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
- 1.000 household selected all over the country
and a sample of 5000 households for possible
substitution (territorial criterion of proximity)
5. Second stage
- Women aged 16-70 years old
6. Selection criterion
- Random selection between eligible women
Sample
Actual and past marital status
At the time of the interview:
75,8% women were married
2,2% had a partner more uxorio
7,7% had a boyfriend
The Pilot Survey:
Survey organization
Interviewers selection
Interviewers training
Monitoring phase
Sample
Results of the survey
quality
85,7% (819) women have a partner now
section E
In the past
3,3% (31) women had only a partner
in the past
section Ebis
44,1% (419) women had partners
also in the past
section F
Calendar of the survey
• Questionnaire Informatization
(February – March 2004)
• Interviewer selection
(March 2004)
• Test of the Questionnaire (March 2004)
The Pilot Survey:
• Training
(April 2004)
• Mailing
(April 2004)
Sample
• Trial calls and revision
of the indicator system
(April 2004)
Results of the survey
quality
• Collection phase (26 April - 9 July 2004)
Survey organization
Interviewers selection
Interviewers training
Monitoring phase
Results about the survey quality and
the feasibility of the survey
Some numbers:
– Phone calls:
– Telephone number contacted:
– Telephone number not in target:
(no eligible households 543)
24687
2840
783
Some rates:
The Pilot Survey:
Survey organization
Interviewers selection
Interviewers training
–
–
–
–
–
Cooperation rates
Household refusal rate
Refusal rate of selected person
Interruption rate
Average lenght
61,1%
18,5%
3,8%
2,7%
28,8 minutes
<15
12,9%
15-30
62,2%
31-45
19,9%
46-60
3,8%
61-70
1,1%
71-80
0,1%
Monitoring phase
Sample
Results of the survey
quality
Lenght in classes
Results about the survey quality and
the feasibility of the survey
– There are many differences among the two group
of interviewers
21 MAY
Refusal
rate
The Pilot Survey:
Survey organization
Interviewers selection
Interviewers training
Monitoring phase
Sample
Results of the survey
quality
Refusal of
selected
person
Interruption
rate
Lenght
Interviewers from
shelters
7,9
1,4
0,2
32
Cati professionist
interviewers
10,1
1,7
1,5
26
– Against every expectation, interviewers from shelters
obtained more interviews than the other ones
– They were “new” for this work, they didn’t use dangerous
authomatisme to maximize their work, each call was an
adventure
– They are able to conquer the household, to put at own
ease the respondent, to value her
Results about violence rate
The interviewers from shelter:
– Read slowly and entirely the questions
– Gave time to reflect and to answer to the
interviewees
– create a confiance climate with women
The Pilot Survey:
This means more ability to capture violence
- Women disclosure themselves more -
Survey organization
Interviewers selection
No
violence
Non
partner
violence
report
Partner
violence
report
Both
violence
report
Interviewers from
shelters
67,9
17,1
5,3
9,6
Cati professionist
interviewers
75,3
13,0
7,0
4,7
Interviewers training
Monitoring phase
Sample
Results of the survey
quality
Results about violence rate
The Pilot Survey:
Survey organization
Interviewers selection
Interviewers training
Monitoring phase
Sample
Results of the survey
quality
Non
partner
physical
violence
Non
partner
sexual
violence
Partner
violence
Partner Partner
physical sexual
violence violence
Interviewers
from shelters
58,7
68,6
62,4
62,1
59,3
Cati
professionist
interviewers
41,3
30,6
37,6
37,9
40,7
• There is a link between length and violence rate
• And sometimes, the time is not enough
“women often recall violence episodes only at the end
of the interviews” as reported in the open-ended notes
placed a the end of the questionnaire
• Interviewers from shelter, furthermore, are better to help
older people in rembering or reporting violence episodes
far in time
Results about violence rate
Availibility
Sensitivity
Are very important
Professionalism
Motivation
The Pilot Survey:
Survey organization
Interviewers selection
Interviewers training
Monitoring phase
Sample
Results of the survey
quality
They can be found not only in
interviewers from shelter, but also in
interviewers that directly experienced
violence in their life
Other observation on violence
indicators: some doubts
There are more cases of former partner
violence than of the actual partner
And
The Pilot Survey:
Survey organization
Interviewers selection
Interviewers training
Monitoring phase
Sample
Results of the survey
quality
Many cases of stalking
Why these differences?
Are women so able to change their
life and avoid negative relationship
or there are also methodological
problems?
Other observation on violence
indicators: some doubts
The Pilot Survey:
• IT’S IMPORTANT TO
INTERVIEW THE WOMAN
WHEN SHE IS ALONE AT
HOME
Survey organization
Interviewers selection
Interviewers training
Monitoring phase
Sample
Results of the survey
quality
• AND TO CALL BACK AND TO
TAKE AN APPOINTMENT
Other results …
Problems about going in details
when the violence episodes are
perceveid not serious
The Pilot Survey:
Survey organization
Interviewers selection
Interviewers training
Monitoring phase
Sample
Results of the survey
quality
For instance after a sexual harassment o
a minor threat or slap (also by the
partner) many questions of the
victimization report section are felt as
inadequate and are too burden
Other results …
The Pilot Survey:
Survey organization
Questions about:
• Partner’s use of drug
• Decision about the use of money
• History of Parental abuse on
women and her partner (actual
or former)
Interviewers selection
Interviewers training
Monitoring phase
Sample
Results of the survey
quality
Have an higher percentage of
“unknown” response
Other results …
Problems about wording:
The Pilot Survey:
Survey organization
Interviewers selection
Interviewers training
Monitoring phase
Sample
Results of the survey
quality
Name as “violent behaviour”
episodes considered normal by
the woman can lead respondents
to unwillingness to talk
And finally
The Pilot Survey:
Survey organization
Interviewers selection
Interviewers training
Monitoring phase
Sample
Results of the survey
quality
Indifference and to be
ignored is violence?