Towards international standards for data collection and statistics on violence against women Sylvia Walby Lancaster University, UK

Introduction Much development of surveys and proposals for indicators Much development of surveys and proposals for indicators Dilemmas Dilemmas Indicators of extent and severity Indicators of extent and severity Mainstreaming? Mainstreaming? Survey methodology Survey methodology

Indicators Why indicators? Why indicators? Key link between policy and statistics Key link between policy and statistics To simplify complex information To simplify complex information To assess if there is progress To assess if there is progress Criteria for selection Criteria for selection Unambiguous and easy to interpret Unambiguous and easy to interpret Enable an assessment of progress or not Enable an assessment of progress or not Capable of support by reliable quantitative data Capable of support by reliable quantitative data Neither so may as to confuse, nor so few as to mislead Neither so may as to confuse, nor so few as to mislead

Definitions UN definition ‘Any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or private life’.

Definition dilemmas Many different types in detail? Many different types in detail? Name women’s experiences Name women’s experiencesOr Use general headings Use general headings Easier to mainstream into adjacent policy areas? Easier to mainstream into adjacent policy areas?

Dimensions of gender based violence Extent Extent Prevalence Prevalence Number of incidents Number of incidents Severity Severity frequency frequency Nature of the action Nature of the action injuries injuries

Prevalence: advantages and disadvantages Advantages Advantages Captures nature of domestic violence as a course of conduct Captures nature of domestic violence as a course of conduct Widely used in VAW community Widely used in VAW community Disadvantage Disadvantage Hard to mainstream into adjacent policy fields which tend to use number of incidents, e.g. criminal justice Hard to mainstream into adjacent policy fields which tend to use number of incidents, e.g. criminal justice

Number of incidents Advantages Advantages Easier to mainstream into adjacent policy fields such as criminal justice which routinely used number of incidents Easier to mainstream into adjacent policy fields such as criminal justice which routinely used number of incidents Disadvantages Disadvantages Not in common use in VAW community Not in common use in VAW community Conflict Tactics Scale is ambiguous on incidents Conflict Tactics Scale is ambiguous on incidents Conclusion: Conclusion: use both prevalence and incidents use both prevalence and incidents

Severity: frequency Frequency Frequency Number of times a person is subject to VAW Number of times a person is subject to VAW

Severity: Nature of action Used in Conflict Tactics Scale as a hierarchy of actions of increasing severity Used in Conflict Tactics Scale as a hierarchy of actions of increasing severity E.g. push, kick, choke E.g. push, kick, choke Disadvantages Disadvantages 1. Confined to domestic violence and does not include sexual violence 2. Action not congruent with injury, by gender 3. Unique to DV, so hard to mainstream

Severity: Injury Victim focused measure Victim focused measure Scale Scale No injury/injury No injury/injury Rape as injury in itself Rape as injury in itself Need gradations of seriousness of injury Need gradations of seriousness of injury Advantage Advantage Easier to mainstream into adjacent fields Easier to mainstream into adjacent fields Disadvantage Disadvantage Non-physical injuries hard to capture Non-physical injuries hard to capture

Consistency Time period Time period 1 year? 1 year? Age cut off Age cut off 16-59? 16-59? Marital/cohabiting status Marital/cohabiting status No restrictions No restrictions

Survey methodology Sample size Sample size Free standing or integrated Free standing or integrated Sampling frame and response rate Sampling frame and response rate Mode of questionnaire delivery Mode of questionnaire delivery Rapport or confidentiality Rapport or confidentiality

Sample Size Large in order to capture less common forms of violence such as rape Large in order to capture less common forms of violence such as rape But cost constraints But cost constraints No less than 10,000? No less than 10,000?

Free-standing survey or integrated in another? Free-standing Free-standing Enables the best framing of questions Enables the best framing of questions But expensive But expensive Integrated questions Integrated questions May not be well framed, may be only a few questions May not be well framed, may be only a few questions Least expensive Least expensive Add-on module Add-on module Good compromise on quality and cost? Good compromise on quality and cost?

Sampling frame and response rate Very important not to exclude disadvantaged and marginal people where rate of violence may be much higher Very important not to exclude disadvantaged and marginal people where rate of violence may be much higher Sampling frame Sampling frame Response rate Response rate Despite the cost Despite the cost

Delivery of questionnaire Does it matter whether the questionnaire is delivered by post, phone, face-to-face? Does it matter whether the questionnaire is delivered by post, phone, face-to-face? Relevant in so far as it affects the comprehensiveness of the sampling frame and the response rate Relevant in so far as it affects the comprehensiveness of the sampling frame and the response rate Phones? Phones? But do poor women have them But do poor women have them What of mobiles? What of mobiles? Is sample of people in houses the best option? Is sample of people in houses the best option?

Rapport or confidentiality? Do people disclose more with Do people disclose more with Interviewer rapport? Interviewer rapport? Confidentiality, via self-completion? Confidentiality, via self-completion? Evidence: Evidence: confidentiality raises the rate of disclosure confidentiality raises the rate of disclosure In UK five times higher prevalence In UK five times higher prevalence

Indicators conclusions Extent: Extent: Prevalence Prevalence Number of incidents Number of incidents Severity Severity Frequency Frequency Injury Injury

Survey methods conclusions Consistency: Consistency: Time periods, age, marital status Time periods, age, marital status Large sample size Large sample size Free-standing or add-on module Free-standing or add-on module Comprehensive sampling frame Comprehensive sampling frame High response rate High response rate Confidentiality to facilitate disclosure Confidentiality to facilitate disclosure