Statistics

• Domestic violence has the highest rate of repeat victimisation of any crime.
• One incident of domestic violence is reported to the police every minute.
• On average two women per week are killed by a male partner or former partner.
• Over a third of all female murder victims are killed by a current or former partner.
• One in four women will be a victim of domestic violence in their lifetime.

Women & Equality Unit – September 2004

• There were an estimated 190,000 incidents of serious sexual assault and an estimated 47,000 female victims of rape (or attempted rape).

Home Office Research Study 276 – March 2004

• There were an estimated 635,000 incidents of domestic violence in England and Wales. 81% of the victims were women and 19% were men. Domestic violence incidents also made up nearly 22% of all violent incidents reported by participants in the BCS.

2001/02 British Crime Survey (BCS) – Home Office 2002

• An analysis of 10 separate domestic violence prevalence studies by the Council of Europe showed consistent findings: 1 in 4 women experience domestic violence over their lifetimes and between 6-10% of women suffer domestic violence in a given year

Council of Europe, 2002

• One in five workers is subject to violent attack at work. Nurses, who are predominantly women, are most at risk with one in three attacked in the last year. Care workers are also a high risk group with one in five attacked

Trades Union Congress (1999)

• Asked why they did nor report the worst incident of domestic violence in the last year, 41% of women replied they thought that it was too trivial, 38% of women that it as a private family matter, 7% that they did not want any more humiliation, 13% that they feared more violence or that the situation would get worse as a result of police involvement.

Home Office Research Study 276; March 2004

• In 2002/03, the total number of 'Rape of a female' offences recorded by police in England & Wales was 11,441.

Research Development and Statistics (RDS) Home Office

• 70% of women aged 16-29 are worried about rape.

Ibid