Full Report of the Prevalence, Incidence, and Consequences of Violence Against Women: Findings From the National Violence Against Women Survey

• NCJ Number: 183781
• Author(s): Patricia Tjaden; Nancy Thoennes
• Date Published: November 2000
• Length: 74 pages
• Publication Series: NIJ Research Report
• Grant Number(s): 93-IJ-CX-0012
• Agencies: NIJ
• Publication Type: Survey

Annotation

This report presents findings from the National Violence Against Women (NVAW) Survey conducted from November 1995 to May 1996, which sampled both women and men to provide comparable data on women's and men's experiences with violent victimization.

Abstract

Survey findings are presented on the prevalence and incidence of rape, physical assault, and stalking; the rate of injury among rape and physical assault victims; and injured victims' use of medical services. Physical assault was found to be widespread among adults in the United States, with 51.9 percent of surveyed women and 66.4 percent of surveyed men reporting they were physically assaulted as a child by an adult caretaker and/or as an adult by any type of attacker. Of the 17.6 percent of all women surveyed who said they had been the victim of a completed or attempted rape at some time in their life, 21.6 percent were younger than age 12 when they were first raped, and 32.4 percent were ages 12 to 17. Stalking was more prevalent than previously thought, as 8.1 percent of surveyed women and 2.2 percent of surveyed men reported being stalked at some time in their life. American Indian/Alaska Native women and men reported more violent victimization than did women and men of other racial backgrounds. Hispanic women were significantly less likely than non-Hispanic women to report they were raped at some time in their life. A relationship was found between victimization as a minor and subsequent victimization. Also, women experienced more intimate partner violence than did men, and women were significantly more likely than men to be injured during an assault. The risk of injury increased among female rape and physical assault victims when their assailant was a current or former intimate. Approximately one-third of injured female rape and physical assault victims received medical treatment. This study makes it clear that violence against women, particularly intimate partner violence, should be classified as a major public health and criminal justice concern in the United States. 35 exhibits and chapter notes