Intimate Partner Violence Declined Between 1993 and 2004 |
WASHINGTON, Dec. 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The intimate partner
violence rate has declined since 1993, the Justice Department's Bureau of
Justice Statistics (BJS) announced today. In 1993 nonfatal intimate partner
violence was 5.8 victimizations per 1,000 U.S. residents 12 years old and
older. By 2004 this rate had fallen to 2.6 victimizations per 1,000
individuals.
An intimate partner is a current or former spouse, boyfriend,
girlfriend or same-sex partner. Violence between intimates includes
homicides, rapes, robberies and assaults committed by partners. During 2004
there were approximately 627,400 nonfatal intimate partner victimizations
-- 475,900 against females and 151,500 against males. Approximately
one-third of these offenses were serious violent crimes -- rapes, sexual
assaults, robberies and aggravated assaults -- and involved either serious
injuries, weapons or sexual offenses.
Long-term trends in nonfatal intimate partner violence differ by
gender. Non-fatal intimate partner victimization for females was about four
victimizations per 1,000 persons age 12 and older in 2004, down from about
10 in 1993. Non-fatal intimate partner violence for males remained
relatively stable -- 1.6 victimizations per 1,000 males 12 years old and
older in 1993, compared to 1.3 per 1,000 in 2004.
The number of intimate partner homicide victims has declined since
1993, with greater declines seen for male victims. During 1993, the number
of females murdered by intimates was 1,571, compared to 1,159 during 2004
-- a 26 percent decline. The number of males murdered by partners during
1993 was 698, compared to 385 -- a 45 percent decline.
Overall intimate partner violence during 2004 remained unchanged from
2003, although some demographic groups experienced an increase. During that
period the rate of non-fatal intimate partner violence among black females
increased from 3.8 to 6.6 victimizations per 1,000 females aged 12 and
older. Non-fatal intimate partner violence for white males increased from
0.5 to 1.1 victimizations per 1,000 males age 12 and older.
Between 1993 and 2004, non-fatal intimate partner victimizations
represented 22 percent of violent victimizations against females and 3
percent of those against males aged 12 and older. Females and males who
were separated or divorced reported the highest rates of nonfatal partner
violence, whereas those who were married or widowed reported the lowest
rates of such violence.
The average annual rate of non-fatal intimate partner violence from
1993 to 2004 was highest for American Indian and Alaskan Native females at
18.2 victimizations per 1,000 females aged 12 and older. The risks also
varied by age group. Females 20 to 24 years old were at the highest risk of
nonfatal intimate partner violence. Asian males, white males and the
elderly reported the lowest rates of partner violence.
For non-fatal intimate partner violence, as for violent crime in
general, simple assault is the most common type of violent crime. Simple
assault is an attack without a weapon that results either in no injury or a
minor injury. One-third of female victims of non-fatal intimate partner
violence between 1993 and 2004 reported that the offender was under the
influence of alcohol during the victimization. One-fifth of male victims
reported that the offender was under the influence of alcohol. Both male
and female victims reported that their attacker was under the influence of
drugs in about 6 percent of all victimizations.
Overall, 21 percent of female victims and 10 percent of male victims
contacted an outside agency for assistance. Female victims were more likely
to contact a government agency than a private agency. Male victims were
equally likely to contact a government or private agency for assistance.
The web page report, Intimate Partner Violence in the United States was
written by BJS statistician Shannan Catalano. It can be found on the
Internet at: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/intimate/ipv.htm
For additional information about the Bureau of Justice Statistics
statistical reports programs, please visit the BJS Web site at
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs.
The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) provides federal leadership in
developing the nation's capacity to prevent and control crime, administer
justice and assist victims. OJP is headed by an Assistant Attorney General
and comprises five component bureaus and an office: the Bureau of Justice
Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of
Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; and the
Office for Victims of Crime, as well as the Community Capacity Development
Office, which incorporates the Weed and Seed strategy and OJP's American
Indian and Alaska Native Affairs Desk. More information can be found at
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov.
SOURCE U.S. Department of Justice
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CONTACT:
Stu Smith of the Bureau of Justice
Statistics, +1-202-307-0784, or +1-301-983-9354
