Hidden rise in violent crime driven by growth in violence against women (but, NO war on women!)
Domestic violence
Hidden rise in violent crime driven by growth in violence against women
While violence against men continues to fall, new research uncovers upward trend coinciding with austerity-led cuts to domestic violence services
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Women holding banners against cuts to domestic violence services in November 2015
A rally against cuts to domestic violence services in November 2015, led by Sisters Uncut; women’s groups say there is a link between cutbacks and the rise in violence. Photograph: Natasha Quarmby/Demotix/Corbis
Women are bearing the brunt of an invisible rise in violent crime, a new analysis shows. Domestic violence and violence against women have increased since 2009, researchers found, pushing up overall levels of violent crime.
The findings contradict the official message that violent crime has been in decline since the mid-90s. They also begin to challenge the assertion that men are the most likely victims; violent crime against men continues to fall.
A team led by Sylvia Walby, Unesco chair in gender research and a professor of sociology at Lancaster University, discovered the rise in violent crime after looking again at data collected by the Crime Survey of England and Wales (CSEW) between 1994 and 2014.
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Official statisticians cap the number in a series of crimes that a single person can report to the survey at five, to stop outliers skewing the statistics. But Walby argues that this method excludes the experiences of “high frequency” victims – particularly victims of domestic violence – who often make up more than 5% of respondents. To take these victims into account, Walby and her colleagues instead looked at all reported crimes. The new study also slightly alters the definition of violent crime to include sexual offences such as rape, which are usually given their own category in CSEW figures.
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http://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/jan/13/hidden-rise-violent-crime-growth-violence-against-women
