Description
The main objective of the project is to quantify the economic impact of domestic violence (DV) on public health care budgets. These impacts will be put into the context of the state of public budgets in general. Another goal is to foster both professional and public debate on the given topic in order to initiate changes that will lead to regular monitoring, analysis and publication of data on the economic impacts of DV on public budgets, as well as the socio-economic situation of women. The data will be collected within a survey (unique in the Czech context) attended by 3,000 respondents across the country. Interviews will be conducted in person (face-to-face). From the research we will obtain not only information about the economic impacts of DV, but also data on the impacts of DV on women's health (nature of injuries, length of hospitalisation, etc.). We thus aim at strengthening the argument that prevention of DV is cheaper and more effective than dealing with the consequences thereof, presenting, at the same time, a new aspect of DV. The project outcome will be a comprehensive report summarising the data and findings of the project, which will be presented in PR activities.
Summary of project results
One of the consequences of domestic violence is its impact on the health of its victims. Our goal was to gain and publicise strong arguments for combating domestic violence and advocate more consistent prevention, an issue that cannot be further overlooked. We conducted representative research across the Czech Republic, in which 3,058 women respondents took part. We calculated the costs of domestic violence expended from public budgets in the year 2014 at CZK 1.85 billion for treatment and therapy of victims and costs of treatment of chronic diseases amounting to CZK 1.088 billion. To present the outcomes of the research and to open the debate on domestic violence’s impact on the economy and health, we organised an international conference for the wider professional public and held several lobbying meetings. The main output of the project is the study entitled The Economic Impact of Domestic Violence in Health, which introduces those interested in the issue to all of the research, including methodology. This study also provides recommendations that can help to better identify domestic violence among female and male patients and improve the standard of care for victims. We will use the research findings not only in day-to-day work with our clients but also in our efforts to advocate measures necessary to provide more efficient assistance to the victims of domestic violence.
Summary of bilateral results