Study “The country costs of violence against women in Ecuador”
This study is the second of its kind to be carried out in Latin America, its only precedent being a similar study carried out in 2017 by the Regional Program to Combat Violence against Women in Latin America (Programa Regional Combatir la Violencia contra las Mujeres en Latinoamérica), also of the German Cooperation, implemented by the GIZ, in Paraguay. These are the first studies that measure the effects of gender-based violence against women in a comprehensive manner and with primary data for the entire country. However, although both studies use the same conceptual framework and measurement strategy, the Ecuadorian study incorporates some new cost categories, such as, for example, the costs produced by food insecurity, intergenerational impacts (in the case of householdlevel costs), and the social support received by assaulted women (at the community level).
The results of the country cost study indicate that Ecuador loses approximately US$4,608 million annually due to violence against women. This amount represents 4.28% of its gross domestic product (GDP). We hope that this evidence will help to make the situation more visible and raise the awareness of public and private institutions about the enormous economic impact of VAW, demonstrating that it is a problem that transcends individual spheres and affects all levels of society.
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