Measuring violence: Indicators from the Italian violence against women survey

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Measuring violence Indicators from the Italian
violence against women survey

• Maria Giuseppina Muratore
• Istat - Istituto Nazionale di Statistica

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The international context
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
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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

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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

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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

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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)

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Thinking to indicators

• Purposes phenomenon comprehension,
  quantification, legislative, policy evaluation
• Types of indicators
• General versus specific
• National versus trans-national dimension

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Some Italian issue

• The nature of violence
• Physical
• Sexual
• Psychological
• Economic violence (partially)
• Stalking from partner

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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.

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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

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Nature of violence - Psychological violence

• denigration
• behaviour control
• segregation strategies
• intimidations
• heavy financial restraint
• suffered by partners side

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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

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Author of violence

• Current
• Previous
• Husband
• Cohabitant
• Fiancé

Partner Non partner

• Unknown persons
• Acquaintances
• Friends
• Colleagues
• Family friends
• Relatives
• Others

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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

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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.

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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)
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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)
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Non partner violence
PERPRETATORS PHYSICAL OR SEXUAL VIOLENCE PHYSICAL OR SEXUAL VIOLENCE   PHYSICAL OR SEXUAL VIOLENCE WITHOUT SEXUAL HARASSMENT PHYSICAL OR SEXUAL VIOLENCE WITHOUT SEXUAL HARASSMENT   PHYSICAL VIOLENCE PHYSICAL VIOLENCE   SEXUAL VIOLENCE SEXUAL VIOLENCE   SEXUAL HARASSMENT SEXUAL HARASSMENT   RAPE OR ATTEMTED RAPE RAPE OR ATTEMTED RAPE
PERPRETATORS Since 16 year-old to today Last 12 months   Since 16 year-old to today Last 12 months   Since 16 year-old to today Last 12 months   Since 16 year-old to today Last 12 months   Since 16 year-old to today Last 12 months   Since 16 year-old to today Last 12 months
                                   
FOR 100 WOMAN WITH THE SAME CHARACTERISTICS FOR 100 WOMAN WITH THE SAME CHARACTERISTICS FOR 100 WOMAN WITH THE SAME CHARACTERISTICS FOR 100 WOMAN WITH THE SAME CHARACTERISTICS FOR 100 WOMAN WITH THE SAME CHARACTERISTICS FOR 100 WOMAN WITH THE SAME CHARACTERISTICS FOR 100 WOMAN WITH THE SAME CHARACTERISTICS FOR 100 WOMAN WITH THE SAME CHARACTERISTICS FOR 100 WOMAN WITH THE SAME CHARACTERISTICS FOR 100 WOMAN WITH THE SAME CHARACTERISTICS FOR 100 WOMAN WITH THE SAME CHARACTERISTICS FOR 100 WOMAN WITH THE SAME CHARACTERISTICS FOR 100 WOMAN WITH THE SAME CHARACTERISTICS FOR 100 WOMAN WITH THE SAME CHARACTERISTICS FOR 100 WOMAN WITH THE SAME CHARACTERISTICS FOR 100 WOMAN WITH THE SAME CHARACTERISTICS FOR 100 WOMAN WITH THE SAME CHARACTERISTICS FOR 100 WOMAN WITH THE SAME CHARACTERISTICS
Known person 12,8 1,6   8,4 0,9   6,7 0,8   8,5 0,9   6,7 0,9   2,3 0,1
A relative 2,1 0,2   1,9 0,2   1,7 0,2   0,5 0,0   0,3 0,0   0,2 0,0
An acquaintance 6,3 0,7   3,7 0,3   2,6 0,3   4,3 0,5   3,3 0,4   1,2 0,1
A friend 3,0 0,4   2,1 0,3   1,6 0,2   1,7 0,3   1,1 0,2   0,5 0,1
A family friend 0,4 0,0   0,2 0,0   0,1 0,0   0,3 0,0   0,2 0,0   0,1 .
Work colleague 2,6 0,3   1,1 0,1   0,8 0,1   2,1 0,2   1,8 0,2   0,3 0,0
Does not specify 0,5 0,0   0,4 0,0   0,3 0,0   0,2 0,0   0,1 0,0   0,1 0,0
Unknown man 15,3 2,0   4,2 0,4   3,6 0,4   13,4 1,7   12,9 1,7   0,7 .
Non partner 24,7 3,4   11,6 1,3   9,8 1,1   20,4 2,6   18,9 2,5   2,9 0,2
Non partner (a.v. in thousand) 5.221 725   2.457 271   2.062 238   4.305 549   3.981 528   610 37
                                   
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Forms of Physical violence by authorsLIFETIME
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Forms of Sexual violence by authorsLIFETIME
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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
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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 (48,8 also violence)

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Intensity of violence

• More complex issue
• How to ask numbers of incidents
• Do women remember well?
• Subjective dimension in quantifying series of
  incidents
• How to count series of incidents

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Intensity of violence

• numbers of incidents
• How many times did it happen? /_/_/
• dont know/dont 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
• dont know/dont remember dont answer/refuse

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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Awareness
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REPORT TO THE POLICE by type of violence and
author
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Severity .

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

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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

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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
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REGIONI Physical or sexual violence during lifetime Physical or sexual violence in the last 12 months Physical violence Sexual violence Rape or attempted rape
Piemonte 33,6 5,4 18,3 26,5 5,2
Valle d'Aosta 34,6 3,6 20,1 24,3 5,9
Lombardia 34,8 5,2 20,1 25,6 4,7
Trentino Alto Adige 32,2 4,2 19,0 24,4 5,8
Bolzano - Bozen 31,1 4,8 19,9 22,7 7,1
Trento 33,1 3,6 18,1 26,0 4,6
Veneto 34,3 5,7 19,6 26,0 5,7
Friuli Venezia Giulia 33,9 6,1 20,1 24,7 4,7
Liguria 35,4 4,1 19,9 26,6 6,4
Emilia Romagna 38,2 7,0 23,1 29,6 6,9
Toscana 34,7 5,6 20,8 26,4 5,8
Umbria 28,6 6,4 17,3 21,8 4,9
Marche 34,4 7,5 20,1 25,2 4,7
Lazio 38,1 5,8 21,3 29,8 4,8
Abruzzo 27,6 6,0 15,6 21,6 4,0
Molise 24,8 5,9 14,1 19,3 4,3
Campania 29,8 5,8 18,6 20,0 3,7
Puglia 24,9 5,0 15,8 17,6 4,3
Basilicata 23,6 4,8 14,4 16,2 3,3
Calabria 22,5 3,1 13,6 15,4 2,7
Sicilia 23,3 4,8 14,2 16,5 3,3
Sardegna 27,1 4,1 15,3 20,3 4,4
Italia 31,9 5,4 18,8 23,7 4,8
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Just a look on risk factors womens
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.
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Just a look on risk factors mens
characteristics

• Socio-demographic characteristics of perpetrator
  do not seem to be so important
• Much more importance have some behavioural aspects

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Just a look on risk factors mens
characteristics
CURRENT PARTNER DEVALUATES THE WOMAN  
Yes 35,9
No 5,7
CURRENT PARTNER DRINKS/DRANK UNTIL HE IS/WASDRUNK  
Yes 18,7
Some time in a year 17,8
One or more time a month 14,2
One or more time a week 38,3
Each day more or less 38,6
No 6,4
Total   7,2

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Just a look on risk factors mens
characteristics
CURRENT PARTNER PHYSICALLY VIOLENTOUTSIDE THE FAMILY  
Yes 35,6
No 6,5
CURRENT PARTNER VERBALLY VIOLENTOUTSIDE THE FAMILY  
Yes 25,7
No 5,3
CURRENT PARTNER HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE POLICE DUE TO HIS VIOLENT BEHAVIOUR OUTSIDE THE FAMILY  
Yes 51,4
No 7,0
Total   7,2
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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