NCJ Number
177755
Date Published
1997
Length
12 pages
Annotation
The New Zealand National Survey of Crime Victims and the Women's Safety Survey were conducted in 1996 to better assess the incidence and prevalence of victimization.
Abstract
The National Survey of Crime Victims involved interviews with a random sample of the population aged 15 years and over. The survey was designed to provide an alternative measure to police statistics on crime victimization, to identify the extent to which victimization risk varied by social group, to obtain information on offense circumstances and impact, and to describe effects of crime and victim responses. Survey findings revealed that there were an estimated 2 million offenses against households and individuals in 1995, but less than 13 percent of these offenses were recorded by the police. Violent and sexual offenses, including threats, comprised almost two-thirds of total offenses. Crime was not evenly distributed, some victims were repeatedly victimized, risk of victimization differed by social group, and there was a slight tendency for the prevalence of violence to be inversely related to socioeconomic status. Women reported a higher prevalence of both sexual victimization and partner abuse than men. Victims were generally satisfied with the police response but identified a need for better support services. Fear of crime was generally no higher than anxiety about other problems. The Women's Safety Survey was conducted to describe the context and circumstances of violence against women by their partners, to assess the impact of violence on women and their children, and to identify people and agencies women approached for help. More than 40 percent of women with current partners and the vast majority of women with recent partners reported that they had experienced at least one type of controlling behavior. About 25 percent of women with current partners and 75 percent of women with recent partners said they had experienced at least one act of physical or sexual abuse. Several strategies were used by women to cope with violence, such as leaving the partner, talking to someone about the violence, and approaching service agencies for help. Only about 10 percent of women who disclosed violence had ever asked the police to intervene.