Violence against women costs £40billion

[23rd April 2008]

A new report has estimated that violence against women costs £40billion a year in England and Wales.

This expense includes lost economic output, use of the legal system and dealing with the emotional toll.

The New Philanthropy Capital (NPC) spent 18-months researching domestic and sexual violence, honour crimes, forced marriage and human trafficking. The resulting 'Hard Knock Life' report found that domestic violence charities Refuge, Women's Aid Federation of England and Eaves Housing for Women only has a combined income of £17million - substantially less than the amount is needed to deal with these crimes.

The report also found that there are 38 centres in England and Wales which are members of the Rape Crisis Network, when there were 60 in 1996. There is no national rape helpline in England and Wales and only one in three local authorities in the UK have a women's refuge.

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