In addition to the emotional and psychological toll, domestic violence also has a financial cost. According to a Newcomb Institute study at Tulane University, in 2022 the price was a staggering $10.1 billion in Louisiana.
“It’s about 3.5% of our GDP as a state, that is similar to what you’re seeing in some other countries but those are often low- and middle-income countries. We should be able to do better than that in our state,” said study co-author Dr. Antia Raj.
Raj said the $10.1 billion figure includes medical expenses, lost productivity, and criminal justice spending.
The monetary cost per survivor is $105,602 annually, which is 2.5 times more than the average wage earned by women in Louisiana and 87% of the $10.1 billion in medical costs.
Raj said because Louisiana offers very little in domestic violence services, advocates asked for a dollar figure to stress the importance of prevention and the need to help victims. Currently, the state offers no prevention services whatsoever.
“No violence prevention program specific to reducing risks for involvement in dating violence or a domestic violence relationship. And I think that’s a grave concern that we put absolutely no money into that effort,” said Raj.
More than half of residents in the state have experienced physical violence in their lifetime with one in five being threatened or harmed with a firearm. Women are three times more likely than men to experience severe and potentially fatal forms of intimate partner violence.
Raj said there’s also an emotional cost for children. The study found that 22% of children in Louisiana who’ve witnessed their mother or primary caregiver be a victim of domestic violence are more likely to be involved in a similar relationship in adulthood.
“What we do now to help support young people really can have long-term positive effects on our state. The cost that we show, don’t show the additional costs that are a burden on the kids,” said Raj.
While the $10.1 billion figure is alarming Raj said realistically it’s a conservative figure because less than one-fifth of adults who experienced violence in the past year filed a police report.
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