| MEASURING THE EXTENT OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
The book "Measuring the Extent of Domestic Violence", authored by Anna Ferrante, Frank Morgan, David Indermaur and Richard Harding of the Crime Research Centre, University of Western Australia, will be officially launched today by the Minister for Family and Children's Services, the Honourable Cheryl Edwardes. The launch will take place at University House (at the UWA Campus) at 4:30pm.
The book is the result of research conducted in 1995 at the request of the (then) Minister for Community Development, the Honourable Roger Nicholls. The primary aim of the study was to develop a better understanding of the full extent of domestic violence in Western Australia. Although such information is essential for policy and the evaluation of intervention, there has been almost no satisfactory work undertaken on this issue in Western Australia or, in fact any other Australian State. Although many claims have been made regarding the extent of the problem, the reality is that no thorough and methodologically sound study has been conducted to measure it.
The book presents a detailed and extensive analyses of a number of data sources and integrates these to produce a valid and cohesive picture of the extent of spousal violence in WA. The book examines data from a number of official sources such as police crime reports, police dispatch calls, court restraining order applications and hospital admissions. Results from a victimisation survey, which was conducted specifically for this study, are also presented and analysed. From these differing sources, the book brings together a range of estimates of the extent of domestic violence in WA. Estimates are provided which deal with the different definitions of domestic violence and the varying levels of severity. Included in the book are estimates suggesting that, depending on how it is defined, between 1% and 2% of adult females in Western Australia will be victims of domestic violence each year.
The study also examines the evidence regarding the distribution of domestic violence. One of the main findings in this area is that Aboriginal women and women from poorer areas suffer the highest rates of domestic violence. In fact, the 'risk' of being a victim domestic violence varies with age, socio-economic status, marital status and race.
The book represents a benchmark in the study of domestic violence in Australia. The research not only provides current estimates of the varying degrees of domestic violence but enables future trends to be plotted. A base point now exists for assessing the effectiveness of any new policy initiatives and programmes.
The book is published by Hawkins Press, sells for $22.00 (incl gst) and is available from the Crime Research Centre, University of Western Australia. |