Associations between intimate partner violence and women's labor market outcomes in Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Little is known regarding economic impacts of intimate partner violence (IPV) in humanitarian settings, especially the labor market burden. Examining costs of IPV beyond the health burden may provide new information to help with resource allocation for addressing IPV, including within conflict zones. This paper measures the incidence and prevalence of different types of IPV, the potential relationship between IPV and labor market activity, and estimating the cost of these IPV-associated labor market differentials. METHODS: The association between labor market outcomes, IPV experience, and conflict exposure among women ages 15-49 in Nigeria were studied using the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey and 2013-17 Uppsala Conflict Data Program data. Descriptive analysis was used to identify patterns of IPV and labor outcomes by region. Based on this, multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate the association between labor market participation and lifetime IPV exposure. These models were combined with earnings data from the United Nations Human Development Report 2021/2022 and a top-down costing approach to quantify the impacts in terms of lost productivity to the Nigerian economy. RESULTS: Substantial differences in IPV exposure and labor market outcomes were found between conflict and non-conflict-affected areas. Women with past year or lifetime exposure to physical, emotional, or "any" IPV were more likely to withdraw from the labor market in the past year, although no differences were found for sexual IPV or conflict-affected regions. We estimate an average reduction of 4.14% in the likelihood of working, resulting in nearly $3.0 billion USD of lost productivity, about 1% of Nigeria's total economic output. CONCLUSIONS: Increased odds of labor market withdraw were associated with several measures of IPV. Withdrawal from the formal labor market sector has a substantial associated economic cost for all of Nigerian society. If stronger prevention measures reduce the incidence of IPV against women in Nigeria, a substantial portion of lost economic costs likely could be reclaimed. These costs underscore the economic case, alongside the moral imperative, for stronger protections against IPV for girls and women in Nigeria.

The Economic Cost of Violence Against Women and Girls in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review of the Evidence.

Evidence demonstrating the economic burden of violence against women and girls can support policy and advocacy efforts for investment in violence prevention and response programming. We undertook a systematic review of evidence on the costs of violence against women and girls in low- and middle-income countries published since 2005. In addition to understanding costs, we examined the consistency of methodological approaches applied and identified and assessed common methodological issues. Thirteen articles were identified, eight of which were from sub-Saharan Africa. Eight studies estimated costs associated with domestic or intimate partner violence, others estimated the costs of interpersonal violence, female genital cutting, and sexual assaults. Methodologies applied to estimate costs were typically based on accounting approaches. Our review found that out-of-pocket expenditures to individuals for seeking health care after an episode of violence ranged from US$29.72 (South Africa) to US$156.11 (Romania) and that lost productivity averaged from US$73.84 to US$2,151.48 (South Africa) per facility visit. Most studies that estimated provider costs of service delivery presented total programmatic costs, and there was variation in interventions, scale, and resource inputs measured which hampered comparability. Variations in methodological assumptions and data availability also made comparisons across countries and settings challenging. The limited scope of studies in measuring the multifaceted impacts of violence highlights the challenges in identifying cost metrics that extend beyond specific violence episodes. Despite the limited evidence base, our assessment leads us to conclude that the estimated costs of violence against women and girls are a fraction of its true economic burden.

The Economic Burden of Intimate Partner Violence in Colombia: Estimated Health Costs Among Females Aged 13-24.

BACKGROUND: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is the most pervasive form of gender-based violence, often first experienced in adolescence. While the prevalence of IPV is known to be exacerbated in humanitarian settings, little is known in regard to the economic burden of IPV between conflict-affected and non-conflicted-affected groups of women and girls. This top-down costing study examines the total health burden of physical IPV in Colombia, and whether these costs differ by conflict exposure. METHODS: We utilized a nationally representative sample of 13-24-year-old females from the Violence Against Children Surveys (VACS) in Colombia conducted in 2018. Using physical IPV prevalence, the analysis was conducted in four steps: 1) estimate the relative risk of seven IPV-associated health outcomes among the sample and subgroups, 2) estimate the population attributable fraction of IPV for each health outcome, 3) quantify the burden of IPV in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and 4) assign health costs in US dollars to the estimated DALYs. RESULTS: We found that the single year health burden associated with physical IPV was $90.6 million USD. Moreover, nearly 40% of the economic burden of physical IPV among females aged 13-24 in Colombia was from those who were conflict-affected (24%). CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate that at least 16% of the overall health costs among females 13-24 in Colombia is from the preventable epidemic of physical IPV. In order to prevent and mitigate the costs of gender-based violence, multi-lateral and government investment is critically needed to prevent IPV and support women and girls.