Gender based violence: Gender based violence: Reflections from South Reflections from South Asia…… Asia……

….and what’s it got to ….and what’s it got to do with the Bank? do with the Bank?

Maitreyi Bordia Das Maitreyi Bordia Das (World Bank, (World Bank, SASDI)SASDI)

Kiersten Johnson Kiersten Johnson (ORC Macro)(ORC Macro)

GBV – a pervasive GBV – a pervasive phenomenon across the phenomenon across the regionregion Very important in national discourses and the media.Very important in national discourses and the media. BangladeshBangladesh

2006 survey - 30 % of younger women (15-25 years) and 24 % of 2006 survey - 30 % of younger women (15-25 years) and 24 % of older women (45-60) report having ever experienced violence by older women (45-60) report having ever experienced violence by their spouses. their spouses.

43% men in the same communities admit to having been violent to 43% men in the same communities admit to having been violent to their spouses their spouses butbut in the DHS 75% men report ever having been in the DHS 75% men report ever having been violent to their wivesviolent to their wives

Less than 50% women surveyed feel safe moving alone outside their Less than 50% women surveyed feel safe moving alone outside their own settlement. own settlement.

Acid attacks in the newsAcid attacks in the news Pakistan Pakistan

60 % of women feel unsafe moving alone outside their village or 60 % of women feel unsafe moving alone outside their village or settlementsettlement

In Afghanistan and Pakistan, there are continuing honor killingsIn Afghanistan and Pakistan, there are continuing honor killings IndiaIndia

37.2% women report ever having experienced spousal violence (NFHS 2003)

Dowry deathsDowry deaths

But often deemed to But often deemed to be in the realm of be in the realm of advocacyadvocacy ……..and the Bank is concerned ..and the Bank is concerned

with policywith policy Advocacy is seen by the Bank as Advocacy is seen by the Bank as

the job of NGOs (and the the job of NGOs (and the women’s movement)women’s movement)

Very often the agendas of the two Very often the agendas of the two are seen as contradictory by civil are seen as contradictory by civil societysociety

There is common ground There is common ground between Bank & “activist” between Bank & “activist” agendas agendas

Addressing GBV has both an intrinsic value and an instrumental Addressing GBV has both an intrinsic value and an instrumental valuevalue

Its instrumental value lies in the barriers it poses to human Its instrumental value lies in the barriers it poses to human development and overall welfare of women and their familiesdevelopment and overall welfare of women and their families

Cost of violence can be high:Cost of violence can be high:– At the level of the individual and householdAt the level of the individual and household– At the level of the village or neighborhood in terms of lack of security At the level of the village or neighborhood in terms of lack of security

that impedes access to markets and servicesthat impedes access to markets and services We will show evidence of the way that GBV plays out in terms of We will show evidence of the way that GBV plays out in terms of

undesirable outcomesundesirable outcomes We will argue that the costs incurred by GBV are too high and too We will argue that the costs incurred by GBV are too high and too

pervasive to ignorepervasive to ignore We will recommend that the Bank take the position that GBV is a We will recommend that the Bank take the position that GBV is a

core development issue and integrate action into its analytical and core development issue and integrate action into its analytical and operational workoperational work

Organization of the Organization of the presentationpresentation

Background: work on GBV in South AsiaBackground: work on GBV in South Asia Key question: What are the negative outcomes Key question: What are the negative outcomes

(and associated costs) of GBV in S. Asia on (and associated costs) of GBV in S. Asia on women and children's well-being and on women and children's well-being and on access to marketsaccess to markets

Data & methodsData & methods Results emerging fromResults emerging from

– Individual level experience of violenceIndividual level experience of violence– Community level perception of violenceCommunity level perception of violence

Conclusions and recommendationsConclusions and recommendations

Measuring prevalence Measuring prevalence of GBV is difficult…of GBV is difficult… Privacy and ethicsPrivacy and ethics Shame (or machismo)Shame (or machismo) Qualitative v. quantitativeQualitative v. quantitative Who do you ask, in front of whom and Who do you ask, in front of whom and

what?what?– Example: Men’s and women’s responses Example: Men’s and women’s responses

in Bangladesh – what are you catching?in Bangladesh – what are you catching?– What can filter questions do to recorded What can filter questions do to recorded

prevalence?prevalence?

……but measuring costs but measuring costs is even more is even more complicatedcomplicated The direction of causality is almost The direction of causality is almost

impossible to separate out statistically:impossible to separate out statistically:– Is violence as a barrier to welfare (e.g.: Is violence as a barrier to welfare (e.g.:

accessing service and/or markets) or is it a accessing service and/or markets) or is it a result of welfare?result of welfare?

– Whatever the direction of causality, many Whatever the direction of causality, many correlations are significant and not always in correlations are significant and not always in the direction we would expectthe direction we would expect

Dependence on cross-sectional data Dependence on cross-sectional data contributes to difficulty in assessing costscontributes to difficulty in assessing costs

Several studies have tried to impute Several studies have tried to impute costscosts

Key questions:Key questions:

What are the direct impacts of GBV that What are the direct impacts of GBV that could translate into loss of productivity could translate into loss of productivity for individual women?for individual women?

What are the indirect impacts of GBV on What are the indirect impacts of GBV on children in affected households that children in affected households that result in economic loss?result in economic loss?

Is perception of insecurity at the Is perception of insecurity at the community level associated with community level associated with restricted access to markets and restricted access to markets and services?services?

Direct Impacts of Gender-based Direct Impacts of Gender-based ViolenceViolenceevidence from the DHSevidence from the DHS

Individual-levelIndividual-level

DataData

India 2005-06 NFHSIndia 2005-06 NFHS– Women’s individual recode fileWomen’s individual recode file

Bangladesh 2004 DHSBangladesh 2004 DHS– Couples’ file used, bringing in men’s Couples’ file used, bringing in men’s

reports of violence and women’s reports of violence and women’s reports of outcomesreports of outcomes

India: Injury results in loss of productivityIndia: Injury results in loss of productivitySource: India NFHS-3 2005-06 (reported by women)Source: India NFHS-3 2005-06 (reported by women)

Bangladesh: Injury results in loss of Bangladesh: Injury results in loss of productivity productivity (Bangladesh 2004 DHS as reported by men)(Bangladesh 2004 DHS as reported by men)

Percent of women who received trained ANC for Percent of women who received trained ANC for last birth by experience of spousal violencelast birth by experience of spousal violence

p=<0.000p=<0.065

Bangladesh: Association between violence and women’s ability to Bangladesh: Association between violence and women’s ability to seek health care for themselves (2004 DHS - all p values at <0.05)seek health care for themselves (2004 DHS - all p values at <0.05)

India: Association between violence and women’s ability to seek India: Association between violence and women’s ability to seek health care for themselves (2005-06 NFHS – all p values at <0.000)health care for themselves (2005-06 NFHS – all p values at <0.000)

India: NFHS-3 shows significant India: NFHS-3 shows significant relationships between individual relationships between individual level violence and HD outcomeslevel violence and HD outcomes When women experience spousal violence… When women experience spousal violence… Adjusted models show that odds of non-live birth are Adjusted models show that odds of non-live birth are

increased by 40 percentincreased by 40 percent

Adjusted models show that odds of facility-based Adjusted models show that odds of facility-based delivery are reduced by 13 percentdelivery are reduced by 13 percent

(hx implications for both mother and newborn)(hx implications for both mother and newborn)

Adjusted models show that odds of stunting among Adjusted models show that odds of stunting among children under 5 are significantly increasedchildren under 5 are significantly increased

Bivariate analysis indicates that children are Bivariate analysis indicates that children are significantly less likely to receive ORT when ill with significantly less likely to receive ORT when ill with diarrheadiarrhea

PerceptionPerception of community level of community level violence: Barrier to welfare?violence: Barrier to welfare?evidence from the Bangladesh Gender Norms evidence from the Bangladesh Gender Norms Survey 2006Survey 2006

Perceptions of insecurity Do you feel safe going out in your

village/outside your village in the day/at any time?

Perceived insecurity could be an important factor in accessing markets, services and spaces

Important relationships

Logistic regression models controlling for background characteristics, wealth quintile, education etc show the following statistically significant relationships:– Accessing markets

Women who do the household grocery shopping are also 1.6 times more likely than their counterparts to feel safe going out alone

– Decision-making Women who are consulted on major hh purchases are

also 1.6 times more likely to feel safe going out alone– Control over earnings (joint)

Women who have control over their earnings are also 1.7 times more likely to feel safe going out alone

Each of these outcome indicators is a proxy for ability to access markets/services/spaces

Conclusions

There are issues of causality and methodological imperfections but with that caveat……

Gender based violence against individuals and community-level insecurity are associated with a number of negative outcomes for women and their families

This is important for the Bank’s work on poverty and human development and has implications for the Bank’s policy engagement

So, where can the So, where can the Bank add value?Bank add value? See violence as a core part of the See violence as a core part of the

development agendadevelopment agenda Integrate into operationsIntegrate into operations

– HD sector – health, education and social HD sector – health, education and social protection programsprotection programs

– Livelihood and other CDD programsLivelihood and other CDD programs– Governance programs to focus on violence Governance programs to focus on violence

and insecurityand insecurity Research and analysisResearch and analysis

– Integrate questions on violence into HH Integrate questions on violence into HH surveyssurveys

– Understand associated costs more clearlyUnderstand associated costs more clearly

Thank you.Thank you.