Italian Violence against Women Survey: Lessons for the Policy Makers Linda Laura Sabbadini Istat, Division for Surveys on Living Conditions and Quality of Life Violence against women is invisible in most of the Countries. Police statistics record only a very little share of it, as women do not report it. Stereotypes and tabù: it is not fully known in its dimensions (type of, authors, inner dynamics, short and long term consequences, individual and social costs, …) It is not fully recognised, by victims themselves The consequences are strong biases of the people and media’s thoughts about what is violence against women today

WHILE from Safety of women survey (ISTAT 2006): rapes against italian women in Italy: 69.7% by partners, husbands or fiancés, only 6.2% by strangers assuming 50% of immigrants for strangers, rapes from foreigners authors would be 3% EXAMPLE 1 of stereotype : perpetrators: migrants who rape Italian women: foreign immigrate, unknown, that rapes the Italian woman: the common image is that of rapes made in the town streets by immigrants Italian Violence against Women Survey: Lessons for the Policy Makers

it is necessary to conduct violence against women survey with suitable methodologies as: not considering actual statistics on this issue, can cause a wrong orientation and evaluation of priorities and types of policies it is the only way to know 1. incidence and prevalence of the various forms of violence, 2. their dynamics 3. how risk factors and authors are associated each other main aim and result: prevention Italian Violence against Women Survey: Lessons for the Policy Makers

Italian Violence against Women Survey: Results for the Policy Makers First result: partner violence is the most widespread... Lifetime* Last 12 months Any man Partner or ex partner Man no- partner Any man Partner or ex partner Man no- partner Physical or sexual violence31.9 (6743 thousands) Physical violence18.8 (3961 thousands) Sexual violence23.7 (~5000 thousands) Rape or attempted rape4.8 (~1000 thousands) Rape Attempted rape * For violence by non parnter the reference period is since the woman was 16teen

Italian Violence against Women Survey: Lessons for the Policy Makers First result: … and the most severe: the more severe acts ranked by authors: partners, followed by relatives, friends, colleagues. Unknown men are the main author of sexual harassments the majority of the victims suffered several violence episodes. Partner violence episodes are even more serious. Repeated violence is more common by partner than by non- partner (67,1% against 52,9%). The peak is for sexual violence by the current partner (91,1% of repeated violence). Injuries, life felt in danger and heavy consequences more frequent for domestic violence the priorities for a government action should be to prevent and to fight violence by partners VIOLENCE HAS MANY FACES. LET’S FACE THE NEAREST ONE. data go data

Italian Violence against Women Survey: Lessons for the Policy Makers TYPE OF VIOLENCE AUTHOR Total* Current or ex partner Unknow n man Acquaint ance ColleagueFriendRelative Family friend Not specified Pushed, yanked, grabbed, having an arm twisted, or her own hair pulled Threatened to be hit Slapped, kicked or bitten Hit with objects Use or the threat to use pistols or knives Attempted strangulation and burning Other physical violence Undesired sexual intercourse perceived as violence Rape Degrading and humiliating sexual intercourses Attempted rape Sexual violence in other ways Forced to have sexual acts with other people Sexual harassments back

Italian Violence against Women Survey: Lessons for the Policy Makers PHYSICAL VIOLENCE SEXUAL VIOLENCE RAPE OR ATTEMTED RAPE PHYSICAL VIOLENCE SEXUAL VIOLENCE RAPE OR ATTEMTED RAPE Current or ex partnernon partner DID YOU HAVE INJURIES Yes DID YOU FEEL YOUR LIFE IN DANGER* Yes PERCEIVED SERIOUSNESS OF THE EVENT* Very or enough serious Enough serious HOW THE WOMAN CONSIDERS THE EVENT* A crime Something wrong, but not a crime Simply something happened * Data referred to the last suffered event back Back from 10

Italian Violence against Women Survey: Lessons for the Policy Makers Second result: partner psychological violence is common and often means escalation of violence 7 million 134 thousand women (43,2% of women with actual partner) were or are victims of psychological violence: isolation and attempted isolation (46,7%), control (40,7%), financial violence (30,7%) and berating (23,8%), followed by intimidations (7,8%) 21,1% of total victims have always or often suffered this kind of violence; 6 million 92 thousand women were only victims of psychological violence by their current partner (36,9% of women living as couple); 1 million 42 thousand women were also victims of physical or sexual violence. Data show a violence escalation from psychological violence to physical and sexual violence with the extreme consequence of the uxoricide There's only one way to change a violent boyfriend. Change boyfriend. A violent partner will get you nowhere: or rather,he'll get you to a hospital bed If your dream lover starts to whack you, wake up!

Italian Violence against Women Survey: Lessons for the Policy Makers Third result: few victims speak about violence, much more less report it to the police Not reported violence: 96% by a non-partner; 93% by a partner. Not reported rapes: 91,6%; 94,2% for attempted rapes Victims talk of violence with NOone: 33,9% of victims by partners – the 45% for victims of actual violence – and 24% by a non-partner. Victims do not seek for help (only the 2,8% of victims has reported to shelters or has keep contacts with other associations supporting women) Only 27.3 % of raped women by partner consider the suffered violence as a crime (one of the reasons for under-reporting, also for new women generations) 20% of victims of violence by partner say they feared for their life, a very at risk set as domestic murders often happen after an escalation of violence data Mistaking slaps for love might hurt you easily. A violent man doesn't deserve your love. He deserves to be denounced. You know he'll bang you up. If he bangs on the door, don't open it. go

Italian Violence against Women Survey: Lessons for the Policy Makers During lifetime*Last 12 months Any authors Partner or ex partner Not partner Any authors Partner or ex partner Not partner Physical or sexual violence Physical violence Sexual violence Rape or tempted rape Rape Attempted rape * Violence by not partner are collected by age 16th back

Italian Violence against Women Survey: Lessons for the Policy Makers Fourth result: the violence cycle risk factors: partners’ behaviors, women’s considerations and previous experiences of violence in childhood: 1. when actual partner is violent physically 35,6% versus 7,2% or verbally 25,7% versus 7,2% outside the family too 2. when women suffer psychological violence (in particular when partners humiliate and downgrade them) 35,9% versus 7,2% 3. When men were witnesses or victims of violence in childhood 30-35% versus 6% for no childhood experiences. Same tendency when women experienced violence in childhood 4. Of 690 thousand women suffering repeated violence by their partner, having children at the moment of violence, 62,4% declared children were witnesses of violence and 15,7% that children suffered violence by their father In Italy women often tolerate violence from their partners in the name of their children. Women have to be aware that their children differently exposed to violence will tend to reproduce learned models and the violence itself too, daughters tolerating it, sons perpetrating it. Don't marry a violent man. Children learn very fast.

Italian Violence against Women Survey: Lessons for the Policy Makers Policy makers have to prepare awareness campaign focusing on the importance to interrupt this awful violence cycle women must be helped But from Safety Women survey : half of victims are unsatisfied about relation with the police; 21.7 % would have liked police had made something more by keeping the partner away from home; 26 % would have liked more protection. only 28% of violent partner that were accused were defendant and only l’8 % condemned. So male violence not-punished. Not so meaningless that the most of women don’t make reference to the police Furthermore: the survey show stalking is common: 2077 thousands of women were stalked by partners when separating or soon after, and some of them were very frightened (18,8 %). After ISTAT data dissemination about stalking the Italian Parliament approved a law against stalking.

Advertising Campaign born also thanks to Istat WOMEN SAFETY SURVEY to prevent, widening awareness of women : to tell women they can act instead to be passive, acting is a freedom choice, the freedom to ban from the beginnig a violent man, do not mistaking violence for love The woman is the subject of the campaign VIOLENCE HAS MANY FACES. LET’S FACE THE NEAREST ONE. Prevention against violence inviting people to adopt the campaign

Advertising Campaign is intended as a present to be shared. The aim is to make it visible, widespread, for public, also using blogs, web sites, facebook pages, by private citizens, foundations, cultural organization, firms and companies, local administration, schools, editors, TVs, Political Parties and associations … More freely it circulates more women will be helped in understanding violence has many faces: they have to learn to know and avoid it. Especially the younger…to act timely The woman is the subject of the campaign VIOLENCE HAS MANY FACES. LET’S FACE THE NEAREST ONE. Prevention against violence inviting people to adopt the campaign