NCJ Number
90225
Date Published
1982
Length
9 pages
Annotation
Data on rape victims coming to Perth's (Australia) Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) from October 1978-September 1980 are used to determine the risk of becoming a rape victim and the general profile of the rape victim.
Abstract
Using the SARC data together with data supplied by the Australian Bureau of Statistics for the female population of the Perth metropolitan area, the risk of being raped per 100,000 women per year was found to be 133.3 for 15-19 year-olds, 132.6 for 20-24 year-olds, 116.6 for 25-29 year-olds, 62.8 for 30-39 year-olds, and 31.9 for 40-49 year-olds. No women 50 years-old and over were seen at the SARC during the period considered. In absolute figures, the largest group of women seen at SARC consisted of the single girl aged 15-19; however, when age, marital status, and population figures are correlated, the groups at highest risk appear to be women aged 20-40 years who are separated or divorced as well as widows aged 30-40 years. Single girls aged 15-30 years then fall into the next risk category. Women who have once been married and who are often single parents may well feel lonely and desirous of male companionship, which may mean that their social activities give them a higher chance of encountering a deviant male whose social control and normal sexual skills are deficient. This does not imply that these women are inviting rape, which may bring severe physical injury and even death, as well as prolonged fears and stress. Rape most often occurred at night in a home. Tabular data are provided.