Costs of domestic violence in Finland (LAKU)

This research project implements the action specified in the Action Plan for the Implementation of the Istanbul Convention (2018–2021), prepared by the committee for the combating of violence against women and domestic violence (NAPE), concerning the assessment of the costs of domestic violence.

Domestic violence is a significant societal problem that results in substantial human suffering, serious physical illnesses and mental health problems. International research shows that, for these reasons, victims of domestic violence use, for example, health care services 30–100% more than the rest of the population. Domestic violence also generates societal costs through social services, the police and the justice system, among others.

No similar research assessing the costs of domestic violence has previously been conducted in Finland.

Goals

The main objective is to investigate the costs of domestic violence in terms of health, social and legal service costs. The study makes use of data from a population survey on domestic violence and also from various customer databases.

The study compares the costs for victims of domestic violence with those of control groups. The analysis focuses on the costs incurred for both male and female victims. An examination of the costs of domestic violence experienced by children and in childhood will be carried out to the extent possible using the selected source data.

The objective is to produce research-based information on the costs of domestic violence in order to support decision-making and service development.

Implementation

The study consists of two sub-studies.

The first sub-study looks at customer databases and cost data, examining for the period 2015–2020 the differences between domestic violence-related health costs and costs for the general population. Register data is used to identify those who have experienced domestic violence (HILMO, AvoHILMO, shelters, the police). Next, a control group is formed for comparison with those who have experienced domestic violence. After this, comparison is made of the differences in healthcare costs between those who have experienced violence and the control group using cost data from the HILMO register and the medicine register of the Social Insurance Institution of Finland.

The second sub-study examines the experiences of domestic violence among people living in Finland based on the Gender-Based Violence (GBV) data collection coordinated by Eurostat. GBV data collection is used to form an overall picture of the prevalence and typical forms of domestic violence that are generalisable for the whole population. In addition, an analysis will also be made of the costs of domestic violence in terms of social, health and legal services and the costs of lost working days.