Costs of violence

Violence not only has far-reaching health and social consequences for the women affected, but also impacts their employment situation. They risk falling into debt or becoming dependent on state benefits. In addition to the personal impact, violence against women also imposes high economic costs on society.

Women's shelters and specialist counseling centers have therefore long been calling for well-founded calculations of the resulting social costs in order to make it clear that violence against women is a social problem that must be combated together.

Studies on calculating and estimating the costs of violence against women in Europe – an overview

Various studies include various government cost factors, including expenditure on police operations and investigations, court hearings, legal aid, prison service, probation, medical treatment, therapy for victims, women's shelters and specialist counseling centers, offender programs, and support for affected children and young people.

In addition to the direct costs of violence against women, the indirect costs must also be considered. These are reflected in the loss of income and productive working time, and thus in limitations on overall societal productivity.

Costs of violence Germany

The first nationwide survey of Costs of domestic violence by Prof. Dr. Sylvia Sacco shows the significant financial impact of domestic violence on individuals, the state, and society. The study estimates total costs of at least 3,8 billion euros per year. This amounts to 74 euros per working-age person per year. Sacco, Sylvia: Domestic Violence Cost Study for Germany, Violence against Women in (Former) Partnerships, 2017.

The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) also published a study in 2021 quantifying the annual (consequential) costs of domestic violence for various European countries. According to the EIGE study, the annual costs for Germany amount to approximately €68 billion for gender-based violence and €32,5 billion for intimate partner violence.