Domestic violence tragic for families, costly to companies

Just because it happens at home doesn't mean the cost of domestic violence is limited to the victim.

Business is also feeling the impact in lost productivity and -- in some instances -- through jury awards resulting from liability lawsuits.

More than 30,000 domestic violence incidents are reported yearly to police in Wisconsin. Another 10,000 incidents go unreported to law enforcement, but are still seen by local domestic violence prevention centers across the state. Nationwide, more than 5 million incidents are reported annually.

The Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence is a statewide voice for domestic violence victims and the programs in every county of Wisconsin that help them. As part of its efforts to eliminate domestic violence, WCADV is reaching out to Wisconsin employers to educate them on the high cost of domestic violence.

Staggering statistics

The statistics on cost are staggering. The Centers for Disease Control reports that of the more than 5 million incidents reported each year, 2 million involve injuries and 1,300 involve deaths. Beyond the tragic loss experienced by individual victims and their families, these incidents also translate into 8 million lost days of paid employment for employers, or the equivalent of more than 32,000 full-time jobs.

Additionally, 5.6 million days of household chores are also lost. Add the annual cost to the nation's health-care system -- $4.1 billion -- and you begin to grasp the enormous cost of domestic violence to everyone.

"There have been added liability costs for employers who failed to protect employees from violence that began at home but continued at the workplace," says Cindy Buchko, of Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek S.C., one of several law firms providing pro bono legal service for WCADV.

Jury awards costly

Buchko has worked with WCADV for many years to help raise corporate aware-ness of the impact of domestic violence. As a business and commercial litigation attorney, she says employers who fail to protect employees from workplace violence may be liable, with jury awards for inadequate security averaging $1.2 million and settlements averaging $600,000. "Aside from human concern over what happens to their workers, employers have a huge financial stake in working toward domestic violence prevention," Buchko said.

Nationally, one-third of American women report being the victim of domestic abuse at some time in their lives. Ninety-four percent of corporate security directors regard domestic violence as a high security problem within their companies.

Prevention programs

Employers interested in learning more about domestic violence prevention can contact WCADV, which offers training to human resources and other personnel to help deal with the impact of domestic violence on the work environment.

Programs are available statewide. Currently, WCADV assists 64 local domestic violence prevention programs and 100 program sites in all 72 Wisconsin counties and 11 tribes.

WCADV is also raising corporate awareness of the impact of domestic violence through its Second Annual "Together We Can End Domestic Violence" fundraising event Sept. 11 at Monona Terrace in Madison.

Companies such as American Family Insurance and Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek S.C. sponsor the event because they acknowledge that domestic violence prevention and elimination needs the support of all Wisconsin employers to be successful.

Patti Seger is the Executive Director of the Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence. She can be reached at 608-255-0539.