The Co$t of Violence

Have you ever considered the actual cost of violence? Or who bears the burden of the expense?? Several organizations and studies have attempted to quantify the economic impact of Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence. In Colleen Murphy’s article, “The financial costs of sexual assault,” she references a White House report, which places the cost of sexual assault for a survivor between $87,000 and $240,000.  Those figures include medical and victim services, loss of productivity (career and/or academic), decreased quality of life, law enforcement resources and the immeasurable impact on a person’s emotional and mental well-being.

Similarly, direct costs of Domestic Violence can include healthcare, social and welfare services, counseling, police and criminal justice services, legal services, transportation, housing, cost to repair or replace property and more. A study conducted by the CDC about 12 years ago estimated that Domestic Violence cost the US economy more than $5.8 billion in one year’s time. A Stop Violence Against Women article, “Community Costs of Domestic Violence” notes that other studies estimate an annual cost of domestic violence as high as $12.6 billion.

Indirect costs may include reduced earnings and lower productivity. Earnings and work productivity are affected, when a survivor cannot work due to injuries caused by the violence or interference by an abuser. The effects of abuse on a survivors emotional and mental health can detract from productivity also, because the individual may be distracted by concerns about the abuser calling or showing up or what may happen after work. The documentary, “Telling Amy’s Story,” provides examples of the impact of her husband’s abuse on Amy’s career and even co-workers as she changes jobs, misses work, and struggles to provide for her children.

The cost of domestic violence and sexual assault is not limited to the survivor and their immediate expenses, though.  Children are affected as well, often suffering academically due to disruptions of abuse at home, thus affecting their future success and productivity. And consider the person missing work to take a friend, family member or neighbor to the hospital or to go along to court as support or a witness.  Businesses lose money through lower employee productivity. Think about the long-term effect on the economy of an area, because survivors, who are earning less are spending less.

So how can a community reduce the cost of sexual assault and domestic violence? Support programs intended to intervene in or prevent violence. A study in Kingman, Arizona “calculated that each dollar invested in shelter services returned between $6.80 and $18.40 in value.” The US Department of Justice estimated that civil orders for protection obtained by victims of domestic abuse “saved the State of Kentucky $85 million in averted services costs, property damage and lost productivity in a single year.” Nationally, the 1994 Violence Against Women Act is estimated to have resulted in a “net benefit of $14.8 billion over a five-year period.” By providing support services and legal remedies we can help survivors and reduce the economic impact of violence. By continuing to educate others, to promote safety in our communities and to intervene, we can help stop violence, before it happens.

For more detailed information on the economic impact of Intimate Partner Violence checkout these resources:

Department of Injuries and Violence Prevention. The Economic Dimensions of Interpersonal Violence. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization; 2004. http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2004/9241591609.pdf?ua=1

National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Costs of Intimate Partner Violence Against Women in the United States. Atlanta (GA): Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2003. http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/ipvbook-a.pdf

Stop Violence Against Women. Community Costs of Domestic Violence. The Advocates for Human Rights; July 19, 2011. http://www.stopvaw.org/community_costs_of_domestic_violence

Violence Costs Nation $70 Billion Annually, Study finds. Science Daily; June 7, 2007. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070605121002.htm

by Tara R., Snyder County Medical/Legal Advocate