VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE AND STALKING



KEY SERIES

EXPERIENCE OF VIOLENCE DURING THE LAST 12 MONTHS (a)(b), 18 years and over
	2005		2012
	'000	%	'000	%
Males	808.3	10.8	737.1	8.7
Females	443.8	5.8	467.3	5.3

(a) Violence includes physical and sexual violence. Physical violence includes physical assault and physical threat or attempts, and sexual violence includes sexual assault and sexual threats.
(b) Males and females who experienced violence as a proportion of the total population for each sex.

Source: ABS Personal Safety,Australia (cat. no. 4906.0).








RELATED SERIES

EXPERIENCE OF VIOLENCE FROM A PARTNER DURING THE LAST 12 MONTHS (a)(b)(c), 18 years and over
	2005		2012
	'000	%	'000	%
Males	*27.9	*0.4	51.8	0.6
Females	114.4	1.5	132.5	1.5

* estimate has a relative standard error of between 25% and 50% and should be used with caution.
(a) Violence includes physical and sexual violence. Physical violence includes physical assault and physical threat or attempts, and sexual violence includes sexual assault and sexual threats.
(b) Includes both current and previous partner.
(c) Males and females who experienced violence from a partner as a proportion of total population for each sex.

Source: ABS data available on request, Personal Safety Survey.

EXPERIENCE OF STALKING DURING THE LAST 12 MONTHS (a)(b), 18 years and over
			2012
			'000	%
Males			184.1	2.2
Females			353.8	4.1

(a) Stalking includes various behaviours such as loitering and following, which the respondent believed were being undertaken with the intent to harm or frighten.
(b) Males and females who experienced stalking, as a percentage of the total population for each sex.

Source: ABS Personal Safety, Australia (cat. no. 4906.0).




COMMENTARY


Experience of violence

In 2012, an estimated 8.7% (737,100) of men aged 18 years and over had experienced violence (which included physical and sexual violence) in the previous 12 months, compared with 5.3% (467,300) of women.

Between 2005 and 2012 there was a significant decrease in the proportion of men aged 18 years and over who had experienced violence in the previous 12 months. This was largely driven by a decrease in the estimated number of men who had experienced physical violence in the previous 12 months (10.4% in 2005 compared to 8.5% in 2012). There was no significant change from 2005 to 2012 in the proportion of women who had experienced violence in the previous 12 months (being 5.8% and 5.3% respectively). (Endnote 1)

Violence occurs as a result of a combination of individual, interpersonal and societal factors, and takes both a human and an economic toll on society. The incidence of violent crime raises much community concern due to the potential severity of the consequences and fear that it may affect us, or people we know. People who experience violence, and those around them, can suffer in many ways. The consequences can range from physical injuries to psychological and physiological health problems. (Endnote 2)

The Survey interview procedures note that measuring violence in the community through household surveys is a complex task. It tests people's memories by asking about events that occurred in the past, which may have been traumatic and which may have involved people closely related to them. The accuracy of the statistics can be affected if respondents feel threatened by the act of providing information or if they are concerned that the information might be used against the perpetrator. (Endnote 3)By type of violence

Violence includes both physical and sexual violence.

Physical violence refers to physical assault, and threatened or attempted physical assault. In 2012, physical violence was experienced in the previous 12 months by an estimated 8.5% (723,400) of men aged 18 years and over and 4.6% (403,200) of women aged 18 years and over.

Sexual violence refers to sexual assault, and threatened or attempted sexual assault. In the 12 months prior to the 2012 survey, an estimated *41,000 men (*0.5%) and 102,400 women (1.2%) had experienced sexual violence. (*This estimate has an RSE between 25% and 50% and should be used with caution.)


By age

In 2012, a greater proportion of younger men and women had experienced violence in the last 12 months than had older men and women respectively. Men aged 18-24 years were more likely to have experienced violence than older age groups of men: 24% of men aged 18-24 had experienced violence compared to 8.4% of men aged 35-44 years and 2.2% of men aged 55 years and over. Of women aged 18-24 years, 13% experienced violence in the last 12 months compared with 5.5% of those aged 35-44 years and 1.5% of those aged 55 years and over.






Experience of violence from a partner

In 2012 women were more likely than men to experience violence from a current or a previous partner. In 2012 it was estimated that there were 132,500 women (1.5%) compared to 51,800 men (0.6%) who had experienced partner violence in the previous 12 months.

In 2012, an estimated 17% of all women aged 18 years and over (1,479,900 women) and 5.3% of all men aged 18 years and over (448,000 men) had experienced violence by a partner since the age of 15. Between 2005 and 2012 there was no significant change in the proportion of women and men who reported experiencing partner violence in the previous 12 months. (Endnote 1)

Sex of perpetrator

Both men and women were more likely to experience violence in the previous 12 months by a male perpetrator than by a female perpetrator. In the previous 12 months it was estimated that 7.8% of men (657,100) and 4.3% of women (379,900) experienced violence by a male perpetrator. In contrast, an estimated 1.7% of men and 1.4% of women (141,500 men and 123,300 women) reported experiencing violence from a female perpetrator.
Experience of stalking

Stalking involves various behaviours, such as loitering and following, which the respondent believed were being undertaken with the intent to harm or frighten them. To be classified as stalking, more than one type of behaviour had to occur, or the same type of activity had to occur on more than one occasion.

In 2012 a higher proportion of women (4.1% or 353,800) than men (2.2% or 184,100) reported experiencing stalking in the previous 12 months. Of the women who had experienced an episode of stalking in the previous 12 months, an estimated 89% (315,700) had been stalked by a man. (Endnote 1)


ENDNOTES

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2013, Personal Safety, Australia, 2012 (cat. no. 4906) <www.abs.gov.au>.
2. Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian Social Trends, 'Women's Experience of Partner Violence' 2007 (cat. no. 4102.0) <www.abs.gov.au>.
3. Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2013, Personal Safety, Australia, 2012 'Survey Interview Procedures' (cat. no. 4906) <www.abs.gov.au>.




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