Gender-Based Abuse Hinders Development In addition to its human costs, violence against women hinders women's participation in public

life and undermines the economic wellbeing of societies. Although techniques of estimating the economic and social costs of violence are imperfect, studies have begun to provide insights into the ways that gender-based violence undermines women's participation, reduces their productivity, and drives up costs to the economy, including medical care costs. Women's participation. Violence against women hinders their participation in development projects and lessens their contribution to social and economic development. In e!ico a study that sought to learn why women often stopped participating in development projects found that men's threats were a major reason. en perceived the growing empowerment of their wives as a threat to their control and beat them to try to stop it. In "apua #ew $uinea some husbands have prevented their wives from attending meetings by loc%ing them in the house, by pulling them off vehicles ta%ing them to the meetings, or by pursuing and dragging them home. &ven if men do not prevent women's participation, they may use force to deprive them of its benefits. 'omen participating in micro-credit schemes in (angladesh and "eru and garment wor%ers in the e!ican maquiladoras report that husbands often beat their wives and ta%e what the women have earned. )o avoid violence, many women censor their behavior to suit what they thin% will be acceptable to their partners, in effect *ma%ing women their own jailers+. In "apua #ew $uinea, for e!ample, a study by the ,epartment of &ducation found that a main reason that female teachers gave for not ta%ing promotions was fear that it would provo%e their husbands to more violence. -uch fears can lead to adverse effects on the health of women and their families, as well as reducing earnings. .ear of rape, for e!ample, has contributed to under nutrition among &thiopian refugee families living in -udanese border camps. &thiopian women refugees surveyed said they coo%ed fewer meals for their children because they feared being raped while out collecting firewood. In fact, many had been raped during the /- to 0-hour forays to collect fuel. In $ujarat, India, female rural health promoters discussing obstacles to their wor% emphasi1ed their reluctance to travel alone between villages for fear of being raped. )hey as%ed for self-defense training to continue their wor%. Women's productivity. 2esearchers have only begun to e!plore the possible impact of domestic violence on women's labor force participation and earnings, and studies yield inconsistent conclusions. In studies in -antiago, 3hile, anagua, #icaragua, and 3hicago, for e!ample, the impact of domestic violence on women's li%elihood of being employed varied greatly. -ome women wor%ed less in order to protect their children or because their partners would not allow them to wor%, while other women sought employment to lessen financial dependence on their abuser.

,omestic violence does appear to have a consistent impact on women's earnings and their ability to remain in a job, however. )he study in 3hicago found that women with histories of domestic
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violence were more li%ely to have e!perienced spells of unemployment, to have more job turnover, and to suffer more physical and mental health problems that could affect their job performance. )hey also had lower incomes and were much more li%ely to receive public assistance. -imilarly, in anagua abused women earned 456 less than women who did not suffer abuse, even after controlling for other factors affecting earnings. &vidence from the 7- suggests that victimi1ation in childhood may also reduce a woman's educational attainment and income. 2esearcher (atya 8yman found that women who were se!ually abused in childhood earned 06 to /96 less annually than women who had not been abused, depending on the type of abuse e!perienced and the number of perpetrators. Incestuous abuse affected income indirectly through its impact on educational attainment and mental and physical health status. 'omen se!ually abused by strangers suffered an additional direct effect on income. Costs to the economy. .or countries the costs of gender-based violence are substantial. .or e!ample, in 3anada a :;;< study estimated that violence against women cost the country :.< billion 3anadian dollars =7->:.: billion? in lost labor productivity and increased use of medical and community support services. Another study in 3anada put the cost of violence against women much higher, after including costs for social services, criminal justice, labor and employment, and the health care system. )he study estimated that physical and se!ual abuse of girls and women cost the economy 4./ billion 3anadian dollars each year, nearly ;96 of that borne by the government. #ot surprisingly, women who have e!perienced physical or se!ual assault in either childhood or adulthood use health services more often than other women, as studies in #icaragua, the 7-, and @imbabwe show. Aver their lifetimes, victims of abuse average more surgeries, physician and pharmacy visits, hospital stays, and mental health consultations than other women, even after accounting for other factors affecting health care use. -uch increased need for health care adds considerably to health care costs. .or e!ample, in the 'ashington state 8 A study =see p. :;?, the added cost associated with childhood abuse for this plan alone was estimated at over 7->B million per year. Another 7- 8 A study found that female victims of partner violence cost the health plan ;/6 more than a random sample of other women who received services from the health plan that year. )he e!tra costs were not due to e!cess emergency room charges.

Seizin the !oment" A Success#ul Campai n on Domestic $iolence in !ala%i

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8ereCs an e!ample of successful advocacy at national level, which is becoming an increasingly important part of A!famCs wor%. In /99<, A!famCs alawi programme along with its partners mounted a campaign to eliminate gender based violence which led to the passing of the "revention of ,omestic Violence (ill in "arliament in April /995. 8ow did it happenD In /99/, the alawian chapter of regional womenCs rights #$A, 'omen in Eaw -outhern Africa ='IE-A? was leading some wor% on domestic violence with the aim of developing a bill against domestic violence. )he (ill was drafted but the process completely stagnated when the bill got into government offices. )hree years down the line, towards the end of /99<, the media started reporting incidents of violence from across the country. (etween Fanuary and arch /995, the ,aily )imes and )he #ation newspapers reported over B9 cases, ranging from wife %illing, wife battering to grievous bodily harm and rape. After two wee%s of such brutal stories, A!fam decided to put out a press statement condemning the violence and calling on %ey leaders =the $overnment, Fudiciary, "olice, 3hiefs, and 3hurch leaders? to ta%e action. )he statement struc% a chord, resulting in calls from a range of different groups, commending the initiative and offering to be part of a solution to the problem. )he most stri%ing response was from the alawi "olice in (lantyre G they arrived at A!famCs offices in a van with loudspea%ers on the top, broadcasting messages against gender based violence. #$As and the governmentCs inistry of $ender also got in touch. 'ithin a month of its press release, A!fam was ready to move to the ne!t level of action. 'ith the alawi "olice, it mounted public campaigns in over half the districts in alawi to disseminate the current legal provisions against gender-based violence =$(V?, and the e!istence of Victim -upport 7nits. It wor%ed with media partners to hold radio and television debates with different sta%eholders on all the radios in alawi. &very wee%day for two wee%s, radio stations were bloc%ed from < to 5 pm with debates on $(V, and everyone from judges and lawyers to chiefs, church leaders, womenCs rights #$As and government officials too% part. "ublic reaction was mi!ed, but one thing was clear G the silence on violence against women and children was bro%en. 'ith public opinion now mobilised, A!fam staff and the inistry of $ender spotted an opportunity to reintroduce the abandoned "revention of ,omestic Violence (ill. 'or%ing with allies, they identified the people that needed to be influenced, tried to understand their feelings about $(V, and how they were li%ely to react if approached. )he embers of "arliament were the primary targets. )hey were aware of the issues, but most of them held traditional views that condoned domestic violence. )he general consensus was that "s were more li%ely to listen if approached by the inistry of $ender rather than a civil society organi1ation. embers of "arliament also respect chiefs, who were in some cases sympathetic on $(V issues, so a wellconnected #$A volunteered to lobby the chiefs to attend "arliament on the day the bill was to be tabled. )he charismatic inister of $ender 8on Foyce (anda, personally lobbied alongside the "resident to garner support from cabinet colleagues, and arranged a meeting with the Eeader of the Apposition.

Activities included wor%ing dinners with "s, individual lobbying of "s during the sitting of parliament, mobilisation of chiefs, translating briefs on the (ill into 3hichewa, and public campaigns through faith-based groups, media, womenCs rights #$As and women lawyers. )he inistry and A!fam staff also developed technical notes and lobby materials on $(V to support "s in their debates for the (ill. )he alawi "olice even produced fliers in support of the (ill that were circulating among parliamentarians. .ollowing a very difficult debate in parliament, with opponents accusing the billCs supporters of attac%ing alawiCs culture, the (ill was passed. 'hat did A!fam learnD :. -pot opportunities for change and sei1e them /. &ngagement with non-traditional partners, =li%e the alawi police? can deliver real results, especially if you can build a coalition with a shared sense of purpose 0. Hnowing when to let go is crucial G if some other organi1ation is better placed to approach a particular target, you have to ta%e a bac% seat and forego the glory 4. "ower AnalysisI campaigners needed to understand where the "s stood on the issue, how they felt about each one of us, and whatJwho would influence them to change. <. $et the campaign tactics rightI )he adoption of a non-confrontational style and language =not always the case with #$As in alawi?, and placing various organisations in roles they would play best, helped in building the dialogue with "s and ensuring that a sense of mutual respect prevailed.