Violence against women in Australia

Violence Against Women: Australian Facts and Figures

Compiled by Michael Flood, August 2006.

Overview: Anywhere from 40 - 57% of women will experience physical or sexual violence by a man at some point in their lives, a nationally representative survey have found. In the last year, between five and ten per cent of Australian women experienced at least one incident of physical and/or sexual violence by a man.

The DataAustralia has had three national surveys on the incidence of violence against women: a 1996 survey by the ABS, a survey by the Australian Institute of Criminology in 2004, and a third by the ABS in 2006. The results of the two most recent surveys are summarised below.
ABS national survey (2006)

In the last 12 months:
One in 20 women (5.8%), or over 440,000 women, were the victims of violence in the last year. 4.7% (363,000 women) experienced physical violence (including physical assault, attempted assault, or the threat of assault).

1.6% (126,100 women) experienced sexual violence (including sexual assault,attempted assault, or the threat of assault).

Violence during a lifetime:
Over one-third (39.9%) of Australian women report experiencing at least one incident of physical violence or sexual violence since the age of 15.
Since the age of 15, an estimated 3,065,800 women had experienced violence. 29% of all women (2,243,600 women) had experienced physical assault, and 17% (1,293,100) had experienced sexual assault.

SOURCE: A national survey of 16,500 Australian adults (18 and over).PUBLICATION: ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) (2006) Personal Safety Survey Australia. Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics (Cat. 4906.0).
AIC national survey (2004)

In the past 12 months:

10% of Australian women reported experiencing at least one incident of physical and/or sexual violence by a man. They were more likely to report physical violence (8%) than sexual violence (4%). (This could include violence by male partners or ex-partners, male friends and acquaintances, work colleagues, and strangers).
Violence during a lifetime:
Nearly two-thirds (57%) of Australian women report experiencing at least one incident of physical violence or sexual violence by a man over their lifetime. Just under half (48%) have experienced physical violence, and one-third (34%) have experienced sexual violence.
Over a third of women (34%) who have ever had a boyfriend or husband report experiencing at least one form of violence during their lifetime from an intimate male partner. About half have experienced physical violence and a third have experienced sexual violence.

SOURCE: A national survey of 6,677 women aged 18-69.PUBLICATION: Mouzos, J., and T. Makkai (2004) Women’s Experiences ofMale Violence: Findings from the Australian Component of the International Violence Against Women Survey (IVAWS). Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology, Research and Public Policy Series, No. 56.