A new report released on Monday estimates that nearly two million working Kenyan women have experienced domestic violence and abuse over this period in the past twelve months.
The report released ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women – reveals the damaging impact of domestic abuse on careers and businesses globally.
In Kenya, the study estimates that more than half a million working women have taken time off work because of domestic abuse in the past year.
According to the report, $50 million in economic output is lost by Kenyan businesses each year as a result of work absences related to domestic abuse.
According to the independent international study from KPMG commissioned by Vodafone, eighty million working women across 107 countries – a figure equating to approximately 15% of the female workforce – have experienced domestic violence and abuse in the past 12 months.
More than one third (38%) of victims surveyed said they suffered from reduced productivity, and 22% said they sometimes stopped going to work and/or would take days off, notes the report.
As a result of work absences related to abuse, in the nine countries covered by Vodafone’s survey, an estimated $2.1 billion in economic output is lost each year.
Four million women also missed out on a promotion as a result of domestic violence and abuse – suffering a related annual average salary loss of $2,900 per woman.
This equates to approximately $13 billion in total potential earnings lost each year across those nine countries, notes the report.
JK/abj/APA