UNFPA launches study on economic costs of intimate partner violence in Mongolia
SocietyUlaanbaatar /MONTSAME/.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) launched the Economic Costs of
Intimate Partner Violence in Mongolia Study, one of the first and most
comprehensive studies in the Asia-Pacific region which shows the overall
economic cost that is caused by intimate partner violence.
The study found that a
total of USD 247 million (MNT 601.2 billion) is lost every year due to intimate
partner violence in Mongolia. The key findings of the study were presented
during the virtual launch event of the study on 3rd of December. GenderHub, an
online database of resources on gender-based violence in Mongolia, was also
launched during the event.
These launches were
followed by a multi-sectoral panel discussion on Combatting Gender-Based
Violence in Mongolia, with A. Ariunzaya, the Minister of Labour and Social
Protection; P. Enkhchimeg, psychologist of the Beautiful Hearts Against Sexual
Violence NGO; A. Solongo, Professor at the National University of Mongolia; and
Kh. Amarjargal, the Deputy Director of Rio Tinto Mongolia LLC.
The Economic Costs of
Intimate Partner Violence in Mongolia study, conducted by the National
University of Ireland, is the second of a two-part research to reveal just how
much gender-based violence (GBV) is costing the country at the levels of the
household and the economy at large. The first study calculated the cost of
service provision to survivors of domestic violence. This Study is also part of
a four-year endeavor of UNFPA and the Government of Mongolia to generate robust
data and evidence on GBV for better policies and action.
Another notable study
is the Breaking the Silence for Equality study, the country's first nationwide
survey on gender-based violence, conducted by UNFPA and the National Statistics
Office with financial support by the Swiss Cooperation Office and Consular
Agency in Mongolia in 2017. The data from this nationwide survey was used to
estimate the different types of costs including the out-of-pocket costs,
foregone income, care work loss, and productivity loss due to any form of
intimate partner violence. Data plays a pivotal role in combating gender-based
violence (GBV), especially as GBV continues to be an issue surrounded by
enduring stigma and misconceptions among the public.
With comprehensive and
accurate data, the stakeholders and policymakers are able to design more
targeted and relevant interventions. The study concludes that it is crucial to
expand investment in prevention efforts to reduce the high prevalence of
intimate partner violence and its related economic costs to the country.
Key findings:
-
Violence against women
and girls has significant economic consequences for Mongolia's economy and
society.
-
The overall total cost
is estimated at MNT 601.2 billion (USD 247 million)
-
The total cost of
action (current expenditure on services) is MNT 24,167.9 million (USD 9.9
million )
-
The total cost of
inaction is MNT 577 billion (USD 237 million), which equates to almost 24 times
the current level of expenditure on service provision.
-
Productivity loss,
often an invisible cost, accounts for nearly 90 per cent of the overall costs
of IPV for Mongolia.
-
Foregone income of
survivors amounts to MNT 18,517.4 million (USD 7.6 million).
-
Unpaid household
production and care work loss amounts to MNT 11,275 million (USD 4.6 million).
-
Out-of-pocket costs
come to MNT 6,592.8 million (USD 2.7 million).
-
Projected resource
requirements: increasing current service users by 75 percent would result in an
expanded resource requirement equivalent to only 7.3 per cent of the cost of
inaction. Services can be significantly expanded to reach all survivors of IPV
without a significant drain on the resources.
Source: UNFPA