Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault

I've just started a subject at uni with that exact title. Apparently its the only class on this subject at a university in all of Victoria. Perhaps in all of aus, but not sure about that. Either way though it's insane considering how prevalent it is. It just goes to show how much of a taboo it is, discussing such a topic.

So consider this a forewarning if you like to keep your head in the sand then you might want to stay away from this blog for the next 12 weeks.

I'm really looking forward to it but just wish I had it before I started my new job. There are so many things I could have learned before hand. Possibly the best advice I got from an external supervisor was in regard to women leaving their violent partner and returning on average something like 11 times before they leave for good. I was and still am slightly heart broken about a client returning to her violent partner and the advise she gave me was to look at in a different way 'ok so she left once so she's one step closer to leaving for the final time'.

She also gave me a list of reasons why women stay in domestic violence situations which was huge and I promise to type up one day to share.

But for now here a few facts to digest over courtesy of CASA:


Violence as a gendered issue
CASA House stats - 2001- 2002

* 97% of offenders were men
* 84% of those accessing CASA House were women

Victorian Victims of Crime Survey (1998)

* women were 10 times more likely to have been victims of sexual assault than men (approximately 18,000 women and 2,000 men)
* men were slightly more likely to report sexual assault to police

Women's Experience of Violence - ABS Women's Safety Survey (1996)

* 7.1% of Australian women over 18 years experienced an incidence of physical or sexual violence in the previous 12 months
* 23% of women who had been married or in a de facto relationship experienced violence by a partner at some time during the relationship
* 42% of women who experienced violence by a previous partner were pregnant at the time of the violence and 20% experienced violence for the first time during pregnancy
* the group of women most at risk of violence are young women (18 - 24 years old)
* women are most at risk of violence in the home - 55% of sexual violence occurred in the home; 35% of physical violence occurred in the home by a male other than a partner.

Women's responses to violence - ABS Women's Safety Survey (1996)

* most common action taken was to discuss it with friends (58%) and family (53%)
* 19% of women who experienced physical violence contacted the police
* 15% of women who experienced sexual violence contacted the police
* women who experienced violence from a stranger were most likely to report to police
* women who were assaulted by a current partner were least likely to report to the police.