4 research outputs found
Gender and social vulnerability to climate change : a study of disaster prone areas in Sindh
PowerPoint presentationMeeting: June 18-20, 2013The study aimed to investigate gender dimensions of social vulnerability to climate change; assess the adaptive capacity of men and women at community level and the social capital available to them; and formulate a set of gender specific policy recommendations for provincial and district governments. The vulnerability of women to climate changes can be viewed as a chronic state of being rather than an outcome of environmental extremes, which can be explained by a combination of socioeconomic, political and environmental factors
Economic and social costs of violence against women in Pakistan: Technical report
Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is widely recognised as a violation of human rights and a
challenge to public health. VAWG also has economic and social costs that have not been adequately
recognised. These costs not only impact individual women and their families but ripple through society
and the economy at large. The threat VAWG poses to the social fabric of the country and its impacts
on economic development have not been adequately investigated, analysed or quantified in Pakistan.
The Department of International Development (UK) funded a five year (2014-2019) research project
to examine the costs of VAWG in South Sudan, Ghana and Pakistan. The research in Pakistan was
led by researchers at the National University of Ireland Galway in collaboration with Ipsos Mori (UK/
Pakistan), the International Centre for Research on Women (Washington D.C.), and the Social Policy and
Development Centre (Pakistan). A National Advisory Committee composed of stakeholders and policy
makers within Pakistan also inputted into the project. The research explores the tangible and intangible
costs of violence to individuals, families, communities and businesses in Pakistan. It further estimates
costs of VAWG at the national level. Although such estimates cannot account for the totality of costs
of violence, many of which occur over generations or which have ripple effects that the methods used
here cannot capture, the study demonstrates significant impacts from VAWG in Pakistan, and makes
the economic case for investment by government and donors in the prevention of VAWG.
Methodology
To ascertain the costs of VAWG in Pakistan, this study used a mixed method approach including both
quantitative surveys of individual women, households and businesses, and qualitative inquiry methods
including key informant interviews, participatory focus groups and individual in-depth interviews. An
overall sample of 2998 women was drawn from across the main provinces of Punjab, Sind, Balochistan,
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Islamabad Capital Territory. 532 employees and 25 managers across 100
businesses in Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad took part in business surveys. In addition, over 100
individuals took part in qualitative interviews and Focus Group Discussions in the agricultural district of
Sargodha and the city of Islamabad. A range of analysis methods were used including thematic content
analysis, econometrics, and statistical analysis to generate findings and produce estimates of the costs
of VAWG.
Assumptions and Limitations
An important assumption in the study is that any type of violence (economic, psychological, physical or
sexual) has negative impacts for women experiencing such behaviours. The analysis thus explores the
economic impacts of any behaviour of violence across the different locations that women experience
violence.
The study also has several limitations that need to be acknowledged. First, there is a strong possibility of
significant underreporting by women respondents about their experiences of violence, given the stigma
surrounding such issues in Pakistan. Second, the costs estimated in this study are not comprehensive
given the narrow focus on tangible costs. Third, national estimates extrapolated from sample data
can result in overestimates or underestimates depending on the representativeness of the sample as
well as cell size for variables of interest. Thus, given these limitations, the estimates provide only an
indication of the significance of the costs that are incurred due to VAWG in Pakistan. Nevertheless, the
contribution of knowledge from this project on the social and economic costs of violence, though
incomplete, is an essential first step in making the economic case for investment in activities to prevent,
reduce or eliminate VAWG.This report has been supported by funding from U.K. Department for International Development
as part of the overall ‘What Works to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls’ Research and
Innovation Programme.peer-reviewe
Economic and social costs of violence against women in Pakistan: Technical report
Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is widely recognised as a violation of human rights and a
challenge to public health. VAWG also has economic and social costs that have not been adequately
recognised. These costs not only impact individual women and their families but ripple through society
and the economy at large. The threat VAWG poses to the social fabric of the country and its impacts
on economic development have not been adequately investigated, analysed or quantified in Pakistan.
The Department of International Development (UK) funded a five year (2014-2019) research project
to examine the costs of VAWG in South Sudan, Ghana and Pakistan. The research in Pakistan was
led by researchers at the National University of Ireland Galway in collaboration with Ipsos Mori (UK/
Pakistan), the International Centre for Research on Women (Washington D.C.), and the Social Policy and
Development Centre (Pakistan). A National Advisory Committee composed of stakeholders and policy
makers within Pakistan also inputted into the project. The research explores the tangible and intangible
costs of violence to individuals, families, communities and businesses in Pakistan. It further estimates
costs of VAWG at the national level. Although such estimates cannot account for the totality of costs
of violence, many of which occur over generations or which have ripple effects that the methods used
here cannot capture, the study demonstrates significant impacts from VAWG in Pakistan, and makes
the economic case for investment by government and donors in the prevention of VAWG.
Methodology
To ascertain the costs of VAWG in Pakistan, this study used a mixed method approach including both
quantitative surveys of individual women, households and businesses, and qualitative inquiry methods
including key informant interviews, participatory focus groups and individual in-depth interviews. An
overall sample of 2998 women was drawn from across the main provinces of Punjab, Sind, Balochistan,
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Islamabad Capital Territory. 532 employees and 25 managers across 100
businesses in Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad took part in business surveys. In addition, over 100
individuals took part in qualitative interviews and Focus Group Discussions in the agricultural district of
Sargodha and the city of Islamabad. A range of analysis methods were used including thematic content
analysis, econometrics, and statistical analysis to generate findings and produce estimates of the costs
of VAWG.
Assumptions and Limitations
An important assumption in the study is that any type of violence (economic, psychological, physical or
sexual) has negative impacts for women experiencing such behaviours. The analysis thus explores the
economic impacts of any behaviour of violence across the different locations that women experience
violence.
The study also has several limitations that need to be acknowledged. First, there is a strong possibility of
significant underreporting by women respondents about their experiences of violence, given the stigma
surrounding such issues in Pakistan. Second, the costs estimated in this study are not comprehensive
given the narrow focus on tangible costs. Third, national estimates extrapolated from sample data
can result in overestimates or underestimates depending on the representativeness of the sample as
well as cell size for variables of interest. Thus, given these limitations, the estimates provide only an
indication of the significance of the costs that are incurred due to VAWG in Pakistan. Nevertheless, the
contribution of knowledge from this project on the social and economic costs of violence, though
incomplete, is an essential first step in making the economic case for investment in activities to prevent,
reduce or eliminate VAWG.This report has been supported by funding from U.K. Department for International Development
as part of the overall ‘What Works to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls’ Research and
Innovation Programme.peer-reviewe