Italian survey on violence against women

Abstract

The National Survey on violence against women originates from the need to disclose the problem on violence against women in Italy in terms of its prevalence, incidence, rate and nature. This is an important topic that still needs further investigation. Women rarely disclose what has happened to them and even more rarely report to the police or seek help in the crisis centres or from other social services. It is important to study domestic violence by using dedicated surveys that take into consideration all relevant aspects with regard to the variables measured, way of posing questions, funnelling effects, use of specific terms. Surveys on violence against women are designed in such a way that helps to put the woman at ease so that she can build confidence with the interviewer. Interviewers are trained to deal with these cases and to identify them, as it is quite common that women victims of domestic violence are not always aware of what happens to them, especially in cases of more subtle forms of violence such as psychological and economic violence. The paper describes the different phases for the implementation of the Italian Violence against Women Survey, focusing special attention on the qualitative relevance of the data collected. 1. The project phase Official data gathered with criminal statistics do not provide the needed evidence on the phenomena of violence and, above all, on domestic violence. Violence in the family setting is still an underreported and understudied social problem affecting millions of women all over the world (14). Violence against women exists in all societies, in all cultures and religions and in all social classes. According to UNICEF estimates every second woman will be abused in the family context during her life. This topic needs further investigation. Women rarely disclose what has happened to them and even more rarely report to the police or seek help in the crisis centres or from other social services. Recommendations and policies at the national and international levels have provided useful guidelines for the implementation of laws and services, for the protection of women and their children (EU Reccomandation Rec (2002) 5 of the Committee of Ministers to member states on the protection of women against violence). Learning about the prevalence and nature of domestic violence its consequences, as well as the characteristics of those involved, helps developing at an institutional and legal level, the policies and services to protect those most in need. In Italy, there is also a considerable demand for information on the prevalence rate of domestic violence on behalf of political and social agencies. Violence against women, and in particular domestic violence is a sensitive issue hard to address in terms of gathering reliable data, identifying its different forms and avoiding underestimation of its prevalence rate. Therefore a special study is required to meet these features. The National Survey on violence against women originates from the need to disclose the problem on violence against women in Italy in terms of its prevalence, incidence, rate and nature.