NCJ Number
226208
Date Published
2006
Length
154 pages
Annotation
Based on data obtained from the 2002 Australian National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey and other sources, this report presents findings on the incidence of family violence among these Indigenous populations of Australia.
Abstract
The survey found that one in four (24 percent) of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people ages 25 years or over reported being a victim of physical or threatened violence by a family member in the 12 months prior to the survey. The rate was higher among those 15-24 years old, those who had been removed from their biological families; those with a disability; and those experiencing a high number of stressors, living in low-income households, or unemployment. The age-standardized rate for Indigenous people being a victim of family violence was twice the rate for the non-Indigenous population in Australia. In 2003-04, 7,950 Indigenous females sought refuge to escape family violence. Both Indigenous females and males were 13 and 7 times, respectively, more likely to seek such assistance compared to non-Indigenous females and males. In 2003-04, there were 4,500 hospitalizations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons due to assaults in Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, and the Northern Territory combined. For Indigenous females, approximately one in two hospitalizations for assault was related to family violence, compared to one in five for males. Most hospitalizations for family violence for females resulted from attacks by a spouse or intimate partner (82 percent), compared to 38 percent for males. Related data problems and suggested improvements are discussed. 65 tables, 6 figures, 91 references, and appended description of methodology