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Hit Where It Hurts: Healthcare Access and Intimate Partner Violence

Author

Listed:
  • Bellés Obrero, Cristina

    (Barcelona Institute of Economics)

  • Rice, Caoimhe T.

    (University of York)

  • Vall-Castello, Judit

    (University of Barcelona)

Abstract

This paper investigates the causal link between healthcare access and the help-seeking behavior of intimate partner violence (IPV) victims. Healthcare access can be an important entry point for screening or detecting IPV. Doctors are required by law to report any injuries to a judge if they suspect they are the result of a crime and can inform and direct victims to IPV services. We exploit the 2012 reform in Spain that removed access to the public healthcare system for undocumented immigrants. We use court reports and protection order requests from the Judicial Branch of the Spanish government to perform a difference-in-differences approach, comparing the help-seeking behavior of foreign and Spanish women before and after the reform. We find that the impact of the reform was immediate; foreign women's IPV reporting and application for protection orders decreased by 12%. This effect is entirely driven by regions with stronger enforcement of the reform. We show suggestive evidence that the reform left the underlying levels of IPV incidence unaffected. Instead, the results are driven by a reduction in injury reports by medical centers. Our findings are important given the increase in migration flows globally as well as for current debates on granting/limiting access to healthcare for marginalized groups.

Suggested Citation

  • Bellés Obrero, Cristina & Rice, Caoimhe T. & Vall-Castello, Judit, 2023. "Hit Where It Hurts: Healthcare Access and Intimate Partner Violence," IZA Discussion Papers 15994, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp15994
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Raj, A. & Silverman, J.G., 2003. "Immigrant South Asian women at greater risk for injury from intimate partner violence," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 93(3), pages 435-437.
    2. Sofia Amaral & Sonia Bhalotra & Nishith Prakash, 2019. "Gender, Crime and Punishment: Evidence from Women Police Stations in India," Boston University - Department of Economics - The Institute for Economic Development Working Papers Series dp-309, Boston University - Department of Economics.
    3. Sviatschi,Maria Micaela & Trako,Iva, 2021. "Gender Violence, Enforcement, and Human Capital : Evidence from Women's Justice Centers in Peru," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9624, The World Bank.
    4. Iyengar, Radha, 2009. "Does the certainty of arrest reduce domestic violence? Evidence from mandatory and recommended arrest laws," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(1-2), pages 85-98, February.
    5. César Alonso-Borrego & Raquel Carrasco, 2017. "Employment and the risk of domestic violence: does the breadwinner’s gender matter?," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 49(50), pages 5074-5091, October.
    6. Anna Aizer, 2011. "Poverty, Violence, and Health: The Impact of Domestic Violence During Pregnancy on Newborn Health," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 46(3), pages 518-538.
    7. Cimas, Marta & Gullon, Pedro & Aguilera, Eva & Meyer, Stefan & Freire, José Manuel & Perez-Gomez, Beatriz, 2016. "Healthcare coverage for undocumented migrants in Spain: Regional differences after Royal Decree Law 16/2012," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 120(4), pages 384-395.
    8. Dolores Jiménez‐Rubio & Judit Vall Castelló, 2020. "Limiting health‐care access to undocumented immigrants: A wise option?," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(8), pages 878-890, August.
    9. Amalia R Miller & Carmit Segal, 2019. "Do Female Officers Improve Law Enforcement Quality? Effects on Crime Reporting and Domestic Violence," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 86(5), pages 2220-2247.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    healthcare access; intimate partner violence; reporting; undocumented immigrants;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I10 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - General
    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I14 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Inequality
    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being

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