DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ATTRACTS BROAD MEDIA ATTENTION

In October 1997, the Bank, along with the Pan-American Health Organization, the Inter-American Commission on Women, the Institute for Civil Society, and ISIS International, co-sponsored a conference on "Domestic Violence in Latin America and the Caribbean: Costs, Programs and Policies," held at IDB headquarters in Washington, D.C.

The main objective of the conference was to increase public awareness of domestic violence against women and its costs in the LAC region, and identify possible policy and program solutions. Specifically, the conference aimed to 1) document the determinants and socioeconomic costs of domestic violence against women, 2) highlight best practice programs that address the problem, and 3) discuss potential roles of the media in reducing the incidence of domestic violence.

The conference was attended by more than 400 participants including government policymakers from finance, health, education and justice ministries; key congressional leaders, municipal authorities, and scholars; representatives of the media, professional schools, research centers, and universities; as well as bilateral donor agencies and nongovernmental organizations working in the area of domestic violence. Through a collaboration with 11 radio show hosts, the conference also reached an audience of more than 20 million listeners in the U.S. and Mexico.

The conference included presentations of empirical data on the economic and health costs of domestic violence and the link between poverty and violence in the home. A study in Nicaragua showed that children from families in which women are subject to domestic violence are three times more likely to require medical care and are also hospitalized more frequently. Studies in Chile, Nicaragua and Peru suggest that poverty increases the probability that a woman will be the victim of domestic violence. In addition, the studies in Chile and Nicaragua show significantly lower earnings for women who suffer from domestic violence. In Santiago, women suffering physical abuse earn 39 percent less than nonabused women, while in Managua, Nicaragua, that figure is 57 percent.

Panelists on the role of the media discussed how some media coverage and television violence may actually encourage domestic violence (i.e., through "copycat" behavior), although it can also serve as a powerful means of educating the public and changing behavior patterns, thereby reducing the likelihood of violent behavior in some individuals.

The conference made important contributions toward placing domestic violence in the context of economic development and toward identifying its underlying causes and possible solutions. The IDB is committed to following up on the conference through the publication of a book in 1998 to disseminate the results of the conference, and through financing a variety of other programs in the area of domestic violence. For more information about the IDB's domestic violence activities contact the WID unit at 202-623-3533.

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ADVISORY COUNCIL CHAIRPERSON ADDRESSES IDB BOARD OF DIRECTORS

In keeping with commitments made at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, the Bank's External Advisory Council for Women in Development held its fourth meeting in Washington, D.C., in July, 1997.

At its previous meeting (in November 1996) the advisory council received detailed information on the structure and procedures of the Bank, and met with managers from key divisions that play a role in the implementation of the Bank's WID policy. The July 1997 meeting was designed to continue that conversation and deepen discussions on specific priority sectors (education, social policy, social investment funds, reproductive health, agriculture, civil society and modernization of the state) in order to explore opportunities for mainstreaming gender issues in the Bank. During that meeting members of the advisory council were able to address the Bank's Board of Executive Directors for the first time, via a presentation by the Honorable Billie Miller, deputy prime minister of Barbados and advisor council chairperson, in which she highlighted specific recommendations for each of the priority sectors.

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GENDER TRAINING PROGRAM TO CONTINUE IN 1998

The gender analysis training program was first launched at IDB headquarters by the WID unit and the Staff Development Section in late 1994. The purpose of the training is to raise awareness and build technical capacity to increase integration of gender considerations into the Bank's programs and projects. The second phase of the program, which incorporates lessons learned from the 1994 1995 pilot phase, has emphasized workshops for country office staff and local counterpart agencies. These workshops have used a participatory methodology which combines analysis of country-specific data, IDB project case studies, small group work and plenary discussions. The unit carried out gender training workshops in the Bank's country offices in Bolivia and Guyana in 1996, and in Paraguay and Costa Rica in 1997, benefitting approximately 120 Bank staff and counterpart professionals. Due to positive response to these workshops, the WID unit will continue offering this training in 1998.

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WID UNIT PREPARES GROUND FOR REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH PROGRAMS

This is a new area of activity for the WID unit and the Bank. In order to prepare for future activities in this area, the unit is formulating several technical background documents, including an index of the severity of reproductive health problems in Latin America; a review of innovative programs; and a series of notes on specific themes such as the burden of disease attributable to reproductive health, maternal mortality, cervical cancer and adolescent pregnancy. The unit will also focus on the integration of reproductive health and other vertical health programs into health sector reform loans. In addition, the WID unit is leading a Bank-wide internal working group on reproductive health that will prepare a policy outline for review by an expert group headed by the Honorable Billie Miller, chairperson of the External WID Advisory Council, that will meet in February 1998.