Administrative Registries in
for Violence against Women
Presented by:
Godfrey St. Bernard
Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies
The University of the West Indies
St. Augustine
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO. W.I.
Regional Seminar to strengthen the use of administrative records to measure
violence against women in the Caribbean
ECLAC
Port-of-Spain,
30 November-1st December 2010
What is Violence?
 Violence is defined as follows:

The intentional use of physical force or power,
threatened or actual, against oneself, another person,
or against a group or community, that either results
in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury,
death, psychological harm, mal-development or
deprivation (Krug et al, 2002)

Also takes into account the outcomes of situations
where power relationships are exercised to reflect
neglect or evoke threat and/or intimidation
The Nature of Violent
Episodes
 Physical
 Sexual
 Psychological
 Deprivation or Neglect (including
financial deprivation and neglect)
The Nature of Violence
 Violence can be immediate or latent and
therefore not confined to injury, disability or
death. The effects can last for years after the
violent episode is committed
A Typology of Violence
 Violence declared to be a leading public
health problem in 1996 resolution of the
World Health Assembly
 Three broad categories of violence:



Self Directed Violence
Interpersonal Violence
Collective Violence
Shaping the Agenda for
Domestic Violence
 International fora



1993 Conference on Human Rights
1994 International Conference on Population and
Development in Cairo, Egypt
1995 Women and Development Conference in
Beijing, China
 Reinforced the crisis that has emerged in the
context of violence against women and
domestic violence in primary group settings
around the world.
Domestic Violence

Domestic violence is a phenomenon that is
predicated upon “anomie” characterizing a
social relationship between at least two
individuals within a “domestic group”

Domestic violence as functional prerequirement within social structures
Defining Domestic Violence

Any violence that takes place in or outside the
home between family and household members
or partners in existing or previous
relationships. It can include
mental/emotional, sexual and physical
violence (James, 1997).
Defining Domestic Violence
In the context of Antigua and Barbuda and St. Lucia
domestic violence is defined as follows:
Any act of violence whether physical or verbal abuse perpetrated by a
member of a household upon a member of a household which causes
or is likely to cause physical, mental or emotional injury or harm to
the abused party or other members of the household
See Work by Clarke (2001)
Defining Domestic Violence
However, the 1999 Domestic Violence Act in Trinidad and
Tobago has offered a definition which is as follows:

Physical, sexual, emotional or psychological or
financial abuse committed by a person against a
spouse, child, any other person who is a member of the
household or dependent.
See Work by Clarke (2001)
A Typology of Violence with
Reference to VAW
Interpersonal Violence
Self Directed Violence
• Family/Partner
• Child, Partner, Elder
• Suicidal Behaviour (thoughts,
attempts etc)
• Self Abuse (Self mutilation)
Interpersonal Violence
Collective Violence
• Community
• Acquaintance, Stranger
• Social (Mob violence, Hate
Crimes, Terrorism)
• Political (War and State
Violence)
• Economic (Motivated by a need
to secure economic gain)
Defining Violence Against
Women
 The United Nations 1993 Declaration on the
Elimination of Violence Against Women defines
violence against women as:
Any act of gender–based violence that results in, or is
likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological
harm or suffering to women, including threats to such
acts, coercion and arbitrary deprivation of liberty,
whether occurring in public or in private life
A Typology of Violence with
Reference to VAW
Interpersonal Violence
• Domestic Context – Spouse/Partner/Ex-Spouse/Ex-Partner
• Child, Youth, Adult, Elder
•
•
•
•
Physical
Sexual including marital rape, female genital mutilation
Psychological
Financial – restricted access to inheritance and other forms
of economic violence largely perpetrated by men against
women
A Typology of Violence with
Reference to VAW
Interpersonal Violence
• Community Context - School/ Workplace/Other Settings
• Acquaintance/Date/Stranger
•
•
•
•
Physical violence
Sexual – sexual abuse, sexual harassment, rape,
Psychological including intimidation, stalking
Financial – restricted access to material resources such
as employment opportunities, payment for work done
• Trafficking in Women
• Forced sex work
Conceptual Issues
 Definitional Issues

Physical abuse is reflected in behaviour
such as pushing, shoving, hitting, beating,
torture and murder

Sexual abuse refers to any form of nonconsensual sexual activity such as
unwanted sexual fondling, rape and incest.
Conceptual Issues
 Definitional Issues (Canadian National
Action Plan 1993)

Emotional abuse which refers to a range of
tactics to deflate an individual’s self
confidence including insults, jeers and
abusive language
Conceptual Issues
 Definitional Issues (Canadian National
Action Plan 1993

It includes threats of physical violence or
isolation, the deliberate withholding of
emotional support and the control of all
social relationships.
The Nature of Violence
 Violence poses a burden on the following:




Individuals
Families
Communities
Health care systems
 Violence can be perpetrated against:




Men
Women
Children
Elderly
Measuring Violence and Its
Impact
 Data are needed to:

Measure the magnitude and impact of
domestic violence and violence against women

Understand the factors that increase the risk
of violent victimization and perpetration

Obtain knowledge about the effectiveness and
efficiency of violence prevention programmes
Sources of Data on Violence
 Mortality Data

Homicide data from vital registration
 Medical Records



Nature and gravity of Violence-related injury
Frequency of injury
Injury surveillance
 Police Records


Characteristics of victims, perpetrators, informants,
episode, past episodes
Crime data on violent events
Sources of Data on Violence
 Population Census

Community data on population characteristics
 Victimization Survey

Self Reported Data – attitudes, beliefs, behaviour,
cultural practices, victimization and exposure to
violence
 Hotline and Service Providers


Characteristics of victims, perpetrators, informants,
episode, past episodes
Crime data on violent events
Sources of Data on Violence
 Justice Systems







Victim and perpetrator characteristics
Restraining orders: yes/no
Charges/Arrests made: yes/no
Prosecution: yes/no
Conviction: yes/no
Nature of penalty
Duration times to legal proceedings
Problems with Obtaining
Data on Violence
 Unavailability of the Data
 Threats to Data Quality
 Prospects for Harmonization of Concepts across
Data sources
 Threats to Assurances of Confidentiality and
Anonymity regarding Data Collection Protocols
 Prospect of Exposure to Physical Harm
Unavailability of Input Data

Confidentiality clauses are a main handicap
such as in the case of service providers and
the courts

Data systems do not adequately permit the
collection of micro level on violence-related
events

Statistical classifications for legal outcomes
have not been properly developed and
militate against systematic data collection
Threats to Data Quality

Challenges due to recording and classification of
data on episodes

Are they adhering to appropriate classification standards?

Who is recording observations and how well trained are they?

What data preparation standards are embraced to improve data
quality?

How do agency specific objectives impact the prospect of
harmonization?

To what extent are the data amenable to research objectives
Threats to Data Quality

Challenges due to the reporting of episodes

Is the victim responding under duress and unable to provide all
of the details?

Has the same episode been reported to more than one agency?

Has the same episode been reported by more than one
informant?

Are informants knowledgeable about all the details in the case,
especially those who are neighbours or relatives of
victims/perpetrators?
Threats to Data Quality

Challenges due to the reporting of episodes

How do memory lapses and recall among informants impact nonresponse?

How do informants’ “definition of the situation” impact their
propensity to report. This may vary according to the nature of
the violence

Informants’ perception of the preservation of confidentiality and
anonymity of the data gathering process
Threats to Data Quality

Challenges due to data preparation and analysis

What data preparation standards are embraced to improve data
quality?

How well trained are registry staff in research methodology?

How well trained are registry staff in statistical analysis?

How well trained are registry staff in using statistical software
applications?

How well trained are registry staff in managing statistical data
files?

Is it possible to reconcile multiple counting?
Units of Analysis
 Who/What are the targets of interventions
Victims
 Perpetrators
 Incident
 Domestic Unit

Units of Analysis
 We are really collecting data about episodes
reported in a given period
 Periodicities become a challenge as there is not
likely to be knowledge of the exact time/date
when an episode of violence occurred
 Irrespective of our unit of analysis, one has to
be careful with analyses of episodes to
periodicities
Units of Analysis
 For each of the units, there is a real
population
 Serious threats that introduce bias include:




Definitional issues
Denial
The conception of the domestic setting
Methodological artifacts
The Rationale for a Central
Registry

Domestic violence and violence against
women as a scourge

There is a need to reduce the prevalence of
domestic violence and violence against
women

There is need to establish mechanisms to
access reliable data to learn more about the
principal targets for which some kind of
intervention is necessary
The Rationale for a Central
Registry

Multiple data sources produce
complementary data

However, such data vary in reliability and
intended purpose

There is great difficulty reconciling data that
emerge out of the disparate sources

Central Registry as a main co-ordinating
agency
Enumerating Violence
 Administrative data







Domestic Violence Hotline
Police
Health Authorities
Shelters
Child Welfare Units
Shelters/Halfway Houses
Justice Systems
Enumerating Domestic
Violence
 Specialized Surveys with modules on
victimization

Sexual and Reproductive Health Surveys

Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey
Department of Justice,
Victoria, Australia
Has established a system for reporting on family
violence in Victoria, Australia
Has published “Measuring Family Violence in
Victoria” which the system commenced in 1999
 The latest, Volume 4, was published in December
2009
Now contains data for the past decade
Department of Justice,
Victoria, Australia
•The database, now administered by the Victims
Support Agency in the Department of Justice,
incorporates data from:
Victoria Police family violence incident reports
•Victorian Magistrates’ and Children's Court finalized intervention
order applications
•Victorian Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP)
•Data from Victorian Public Hospital Emergency Departments
•The Department of Justice Victims of Crime Helpline
•The Department of Human Services Integrated Reporting and
Information System (IRIS)
•
Canadian Centre for Justice
Statistics
Has published “Family Violence in Canada: A
Statistical Profile” since 1998
Provides information about family violence issues
in Canada including the nature and scope of violent
episodes and their respective trend across time
The latest was published in 2009, the twelfth
edition
Canadian Centre for Justice
Statistics
•The database is administered by the Victims
Support Agency and obtains data from:
Incidence-Based Uniform Crime Reporting Survey
•
•Commenced
in 1962. Detailed coverage of incidents reported to the police
particularly in the context of victims, the accused and the incidents. Targets 153
police services accounting for 94% of Canada’s population.
Homicide Survey
•
•homicide
data on episodes, victims, the accused since 1961. Since 1974, this has
been also collected for family homicide
Transition Home Survey
•
A census survey administered by Statistics Canada collecting data on the
characteristics of such homes during a 12-month period. Also collects data on the
characteristics of the clients on a specified day
•
Canadian Centre for Justice
Statistics
Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect
(CIS)
•
Bell Canada Child Welfare Research Unit at the University of Toronto.
Targeted children and their families visiting child welfare services units over the
survey period. Collected data on maltreatment in areas such as physical abuse,
sexual abuse, neglect and emotional abuse
•
•
Hospital Morbidity Database
•Classify
in-patient cases by diagnosis separated by discharge or death.
•Produced by Statistics Canada since 1960 and done by the Canadian Institute for
Health Information since 1994/1995
General Social Survey on Victimization
•
•Target
population are all persons 15 years or older living in non-institutionalized
settings
•Victimization cycles of the GSS were done in 1988, 1993, 1999 and 2004
Ministry of Health
Belize
•
Manages the National Health Information System (NHIS)
•Gender
Based Surveillance is a component of the NHIS in Belize
•Permits
the collection of data on domestic violence at health centres
•Permits
the collection of data on homicide, child abuse and rape outside the home
•Data
captured on a standardized forms within an integrated decentralized system
•There
are six District Health Information Units that produce local reports
•Central
Registry in Belmopan that produces national report
•Principal
users of the data are the Ministry of Health, the Police, the Women’s
Bureau and Human Services, to name a few
Gender Based Violence
Surveillance Structure Belize
National Health Info. Unit
(M.O.H.)
National Quarterly
Reports
USER
S
District Monthly
Reports
USERS
Data
Transfer
District Info. Unit
(M.O.H.)
Registration
Form
M.O.H.
M. H. D.
Source: Francis, 2006
Police Dept.
The Case of Trinidad and
Tobago
 A multiplicity of agencies with their own
independent systems for collecting data on
domestic violence
 There is no centralized system assembling the
data from disparate sources
The Case of Trinidad and
Tobago
 Most of the agencies also collected agencyspecific data that fit within their respective
programmatic agendas
 Not surprisingly, there was some concern about
the quality and the reliability of the data.
The Case of Trinidad and
Tobago
 State Agencies collecting relevant data:









The Domestic Violence Unit (DVU) in the Gender Affairs Unit
Probation Services\
The Police - Crime and Problem Analysis Unit
The Central Statistical Office
Ministry of Education, Guidance Unit
Ministry of Health (Medical Records, Injury Surveillance)
National Family Services
Family Court
Magistrates Court
The Case of Trinidad and
Tobago
 Non-Government Organizations collecting
relevant data:





The Rape Crisis Society
The Coalition against Domestic Violence
Shelters for Battered Women
Children’s homes
Private hospitals
The Case of Trinidad and
Tobago
The standard form was divided into seven sections
(A-G) that were as follows:
Section A: Agency Name and demographics
Section B: Demographic Details of Offspring/Parents
Section C: Current Medical Profile of the Client
Section D: Employment Characteristics of the Client
Section E: Educational Characteristics of the Client
Section F: Demographic Sketch of the Perpetrator
Section G: Remedial Action/Abuse Characteristics
Standard Data Collection Form for
Trinidad and Tobago - Main Items
SECTION A
Name of Agency/Shelter, Client’s Name, Client’s Address, Client’s Age (DOB)
Date Admitted, Contact Numbers, NIS Number, Ethnicity, Religion, Union/Civil
Status, Next of Kin – Victim as the reference unit
SECTION B
Demographics of Offspring, Medical Profile of Offspring – Victim as the reference
Unit
SECTION C
Prevalence of Degenerative Diseases, Prevalence of Physical Ailments
Prevalence of Sexually Transmitted Infections, Pregnancy Status – Victim
As the reference unit
SECTION D
Employment Status, Occupation, Full-Time/Part-Time Status, Aspirations
Victim as the reference unit
SECTION E
Educational Attainment, Educational Qualifications, Special Skills – Victim
As the reference unit
SECTION F
Perpetrator’s Name, Perpetrator’s Address, Perpetrator’s Age (DOB),
Perpetrator’s Employment Status – Victim as the reference unit
SECTION G
Remedial Action – Home leaving motivations and practices, Exposure to Shelter
Referrals
Incidents – Form of Abuse (Current), Prior Abuse, Presence of Restraining Order
Homicide Data from CAPA
Example for Input into Violence Against
Women Data File
DATA ON MURDERS FOR SEPTEMBER 2005
VICTIMS' STATUS
DIVISION
N/Eastern
TOTAL
STATION
Morvant
Morvant
Morvant
Morvant
Morvant
San Juan
Barataria
Barataria
Barataria
Maracas
DATE
ACCUSED STATUS
RE
RELATIO
ETHN
P. DET. AGE SEX ETHNICITY
N
AGE SEX ICITY
TO
VICTIM
C/F
30
5
21.09.05
23.09.05
26.09.05
28.09.05
23.09.05
29.09.05
24.09.05
24.09.05
25.09.05
26.09.05
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
40
5
27
25
23
30
40
24
20
44
53
M
M
F
M
M
M
M
M
F
M
African
African
African
African
African
E/Indian
African
African
African
African
unknown
unknown
unknown
unknown
unknown
unknown
unknown
unknown
unknown
unknown
CIRCUMSTANCES
MEANS
WEAPON
PROBABLE
EMPLOYED
USED
CAUSE
Gunshot
Gunshot
Gunshot
Gunshot
Gunshot
Gunshot
Gunshot
Gunshot
Strangulation
Gunshot
Firearm
Firearm
Firearm
Firearm
Firearm
Firearm
Firearm
Firearm
Hand
Firearm
State Witness
Gang Related
Gang Related
unknown
Gang Related
unknown
Gang Related
Gang Related
D/Violence
Robbery
OCCUPATION
VICTIM
unknown
unknown
unknown
unknown
unknown
unknown
unknown
unknown
unknown
Taxi Driver
ACCUSE
D
Conceptual Issues
 What can we count in our national setting? Are
we counting any of the following?
 Victims, Perpetrators, Incident, Domestic Unit
 How to classify the domestic group?
 Intra-familial , intra-residential
 How to treat with multiple counting?
 Social insurance number, National identification number
 Birth date combined with codes for other ascriptive
characteristics
Analytical Issues
 We would like to combine variable from the
following domains to build, test and explore
explanatory models:

Family services, religious organizations, children’s homes, safe
homes, Domestic Violence Hot Line, Health Care Services,
Police, Courts
 May not be possible due to the unavailability of
input data and threats to data quality
Data Collection
 Simple form that should emerge out of a pilot test
and be tested further for utility
 Data collection form should be completed and
submitted monthly

Thus there is likely to be a need for dedicated field
and/or IT staff
 The need for a website interface to Central
Registry
Data Quality
 Training of officers/staff in issues pertaining to the
principal requirements of the Central Registry

Providers of agency data, Central Registry
 Training of staff in the principles of statistical
analysis and data management

Central Registry
 Trainees become trainers of the next generation
Data Management
 Placement of Central Registry



National Statistical Office – expertise and subject matter
Ministry of Health – apparent success of Belize model
Gender Affairs – dedication and commitment
Data Management
 Apart from managing disparate data files
pertaining to domestic violence/violence against
women
 The Central Registry should also act as a
repository for related research of all kind,
especially research using registry data
Concluding Statements
 In creating a Central Registry to provide
information on violence against women, it is
therefore important to:



Determine the location of the Registry
Obtain conceptual clarity regarding the different forms
of violence from the standpoint of the main units of
analysis
Be guided by some framework for engaging analyses in
the context of policy prescriptions
Concluding Statements
 In creating a Central Registry to provide
information on violence against women, it is
therefore important to:



Consider data collection challenges and propose
strategies to overcome them
Implement strategies to assure the reinforcement and
sustenance of high quality data on violence against
women
Develop a plan to facilitate data processing, data
management and data dissemination
The End