UNFPA launches study on economic costs of intimate partner violence in Mongolia

Society
e.erdenejargal@montsame.gov.mn
2020-12-04 15:08:25

Ulaanbaatar /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