1. Domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking:
Findings from the British Crime Survey
Research, Development and Statistics (CRCSG)
Jonathan Allen
Crime Surveys Section
Strategic Data Flows
BUILDING A SAFE, JUST AND TOLERANT SOCIETY

2. THE BRITISH CRIME SURVEY
The British Crime Survey (BCS)
Household survey of people’s experiences and perceptions of crime in England and Wales
First conducted in 1981
Continuous since 2001
Sample size
Alternative to police recorded crime

3. SURVEY STRUCTURE

4. IPV module AIMS: 2001 BRITISH CRIME SURVEY
(n-s domestic violence, sexual victimisation, stalking)
AIMS:
most accurate estimates of extent and nature
national level male sexual assault
most detailed distinctions between forms of sexual assault
overlaps between domestic violence, sexual victimisation, stalking

5. DESIGN 2001 IPV previous BCS studies disclosure and self-completion
16-59 year olds
question design
nationally-representative
piloting

6. Extent of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking
Inter-personal violence is both widely dispersed and it is concentrated:
some experience of domestic abuse, sexual victimisation or stalking for 36% of people
a minority, largely women, suffer multiple attacks, severe injuries, experience more than one form of IPV and serious disruption
Overall, 45% of women and 26% of men aged could recall being subject to domestic abuse, sexual victimisation or stalking at least once in their lifetime

7. Experience since age 16
21% - women and 10% - men experienced ns domestic violence (threat or force)
17% - women and 2% - men had been sexually victimised in some way
5% - women had suffered a serious sexual assault, 4% had been raped
Overall, 0.5% of men had suffered a ssa, with 0.4% reporting rape
19% - women and 12% - men experienced stalking or harassment at some point

8. Prevalence of domestic violence (non-sexual since age 16)

9. Experience in the 12 months prior to interview
13% - women and 9% - men had been subject to IPV
4% - women and 2% - men were subject to dv
Among women subject to dv in the last year, mean - 20, 28% experienced one incident only. For men, the mean - 7, one incident - 47%
190,000 incidents of ssa and an estimated 47,000 female victims of rape
0.2% - men were subject to any form of sexual assault
8% - women and 6% - men were stalked

10. The most heavily abused
Women were the overwhelming majority of the most heavily abused group
Among people subject to four or more incidents of dv from the perpetrator of the worst incident (since age 16), 89% were women.
32% of women had experienced dv from this person four or more times compared with only 11% of men
3.3% - women and 0.3% - men were subject to all 3 forms of IPV (by one or more perpetrators) at some point

11. Experience of IPV: impact and meaning
The following findings refer to the worst incident
Last year dv, 46% - women sustained a minor physical injury, 20% moderate, 6% severe. For 31% it resulted in mental/emotional problems. Among men, the figures were 41%, 14% ,1% and 9%
Female ssa, for 52% - depression, attempted suicide - 5% and pregnancy - 4%
Among employed women who suffered dv in the last year, 21% took time off work and 2% lost their jobs. For men, 6% took time off, 2% lost jobs
64% - women and 94% - men subject to last year dv did not think it was a crime. Two-thirds of women who had been victimised ‘many times’ did think it was

12. Relationship of offender to victim for rape and serious sexual assault

13. Seeking help
31% - women and 63% - men had not told anyone about the worst incident of dv suffered during the last year
40% - women told no one about their worst experience of rape
25% of those women that were raped in their worst incident and classified it as such, told no one
Among victims of stalking last year, 9% women and 17% men told no one
In less than one in four (23% women; 8% men) of the worst cases of dv in the last year did the police come to know
In cases of sexual assault the police came to know in less than one in seven of the worst cases

14. Developments The 2004/05 BCS IPV module - redesign
Repetition of format
Broadening of domestic violence definition
Restrictions
Level of detail and timing
Analytical streamlining – core victimisation module
Change in nature of follow-up information, shift from worst incident focus
Focus on partner abuse in last 12 months
Comparability to 2001 prevalence information
Piloting

15. Developments conti… First results from 2004/05 BCS
2005/06 – core module + nature of sexual assault follow up
2006/07 – core module only
Future directions

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