Australian Bureau of Statistics report reveals “confronting” experience of violence in Australia

ALMOST one in seven Australian women have avoided public transport in the past year because they felt unsafe, new research has revealed.

ALMOST one in seven Australian women have avoided public transport in the past year because they felt unsafe, new research has revealed.

A quarter of women fearing for their safety also chose not to walk in their local area after dark.

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The shocking new data showed that, in the past year, almost one in 10 women felt unsafe alone at home after sunset.

Men typically felt safer on public transport, walking in their neighbourhoods and at home.

Australia’s largest survey on violence found it had fallen over the past decade.

The proportion of adults who had suffered violence in the previous year dropped from 7.5 per cent in 2005 to 4.5 per cent in 2016.

The percentage of men had almost halved over that time frame.

Violence against men has dropped. Picture: Christopher Chan

The Australian Bureau of Statistics’ Michelle Marquardt said the drop could be attributed to a reduction in alcohol-fuelled violence.

The Personal Safety Survey found men were most likely to be physically assaulted by a stranger on the street or at a place of entertainment.

In their most recent incident of violence, about 60 per cent of men assaulted by another man thought alcohol or other substances contributed.

“It stands to reason that some of the publicity around alcohol and physical violence has had an impact,” Ms Marquardt said.

Unlike men, women who were most commonly physically assaulted at home by someone they knew.

The 2016 Personal Safety Survey, released today, quizzed more than 21,000 Australians on their experiences of violence.

Two in five Australian adults have experienced violence since age 15.

The survey painted a horrifying picture of partner violence, with women three times more likely to be victims.

They were more than eight times more likely to suffer sexual violence by a partner.

The data also showed that one in five women who experienced violence from a current partner were pregnant at the time.

Ms Marquardt said collecting the sensitive information was often “confronting” for both the victims and the interviewers.

“This might be the first time that someone has spoken about their experiences of violence,” she said.

“It’s important to understand how many people are affected by violence so we can support them and provide the assistance they might need.

“It’s also important to understand what is not being reported to other agencies.”

The survey showed victims of violence were reluctant to contact police.

It found only 17.4 per cent of women reported their current partner’s violence to police.

That number dropped to just 4.4 per cent for male victims.

The survey is expected to run again in 2020.

Just a fraction of women reported violence by their current partner to police.

WHAT THE SURVEY SAYS

VIOLENCE ACROSS AUSTRALIA

• Two in five adults have experienced violence since age 15

• 41 per cent of men and 31 per cent of women have suffered physical violence

• 18 per cent of women and 4.7 per cent of men were victims of sexual violence

• Women were most likely be sexually and physically assaulted at the hands of a man, mostly commonly their partner

• Men most commonly sexually assaulted by a women, often their partner, but physically assaulted by another man, most often a stranger

• Victoria had Australia’s highest rate of sexual violence in the past 12 months

SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND ASSAULT

• 7.2 million adults — half of women and a quarter of men — have been sexually harassed

• 17 per cent of women and 9 per cent of men were sexually harassed in the previous year

• Most common type of harassment included inappropriate comments about someone’s body or sex life and unwanted touching or kissing

• 18-24 age bracket had the highest rate of sexual harassment in the past 12 months

STALKING

• 1 in 10 adults have experienced stalking since age 15

Quarter of women have suffered emotional abuse by a partner since age 15.

PARTNER EMOTIONAL ABUSE

• 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men been emotionally abused by a partner since age 15

• Common forms of emotional abuse, reported since the age of 15, included shouting, insulting or belittling

ABUSE BEFORE THE AGE OF 15

• Almost 2.5 million Australian adults — 1 in 6 women and 1 in 10 men — were physically or sexually abused before they were 15

• Fathers or step fathers were the most common physical attackers

WOMEN WHO SUFFERED PARTNER VIOLENCE

• Almost one in five women have suffered violence from a current or former partner

Of the women who had suffered violence at the hands of their current partner:

• Almost half said it happened only once

• Just 54.4 per cent sought advice or support

• Those who did seek help, sought it most commonly from a friend or family member (66.9 per cent), their GP (33.3 per cent) or counsellor or support worker (25.1 per cent)

• Most common reason for not seeking help was that the victim felt she could deal with it herself

• Almost 30 per cent temporarily separated from their violent partner, but about half returned because their partner promised to stop the assaults or threats

Many women who experienced violence did not seek help. Picture: iStock

MEN WHO SUFFERED PARTNER VIOLENCE

• 6.1 per cent of men have suffered violence from a current or former partner

Of the men who had suffered violence at the hands of their current partner:

• Two thirds said it hadn’t happened within the past year and 43.2 per cent said it happened only once

• Only about 30 per cent of abused men sought help, mostly from a friend or family member

• Most common reason for not seeking help was that the victim felt the violence wasn’t serious enough

• A third had children in their care at the time

• About a quarter temporarily separated from their violent partner, but almost half returned because they still loved them

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