Violence on women 'costs' Italy 26 bn

(ANSA) - Rome, October 8 - Violence against women costs Italy an estimated 26 billion euros a year, according to a report presented Monday in Rome by the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE).
    The report, which was presented at a conference organized by EIGE and the Italian government's department for equal opportunities, said the social expenses connected to violence against women included losses in terms of economic productivity, personal costs and an increase in the use of public services.
    Overall, abuse against women costs nearly 226 billion euros across the European Union's 28 member States, the study found.
    In Italy, half of the cost - approximately 13 billion - related to abuse by a woman's partner.
    Italy ranked slightly below the European average of 27.5 - with 26.8 on a scale from 1 to 100 going from nonexistent violence to extremely common abuses, the report said.
    The study also found that 27% of Italian women have reported some kind of physical and-or sexual violence since the age of 15.