Nearly one quarter of women have been assaulted by partner, study says

WASHINGTON - Nearly 25 percent of women, and about seven percent of men, say they have been raped or assaulted by a current or former partner, according to a government report.

The survey, from a Justice Department agency and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also shows that spousal stalking is more widespread than previously thought, with almost five percent of women saying they've been stalked by a partner.

Still, Julie Samuels, acting director of the National Institute of Justice, warned against drawing many conclusions.

''Violence among intimates involves relationships and factors that are too complex to be captured by a single research approach,'' said Samuels. But, she added: ''These survey findings significantly contribute to our understanding of violence between intimates.''

The survey also found differences among racial backgrounds. African-American, American Indian and native Alaskan women and men reported higher rates of partner violence than people from other backgrounds. Asians reported lower rates.

The survey found 1.5 percent of women and 0.9 percent of men said they were raped by their partner in the last 12 months. According to the estimates, approximately 1.5 million American women and over 800,000 men are raped by an intimate partner annually.

Figures among homosexual partners varied. Women living with female partners experienced fewer violent incidents than did women living with men. But men living with male partners reported more attacks than did men living with women. Approximately 11 percent of female couples reported rape, physical assault or stalking, compared to 15 percent of male couples.

Despite the rate of attacks, most incidents are not reported to the police, according to the survey. Against female respondents, only one-fifth of all rapes, a quarter of physical assaults and half of all stalking were reported. The report rate was even lower among male victims.

The survey consisted of telephone interviews using random-digit dialing with a nationally representative sample of 8,000 men and 8,000 women across the nation.

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Report available at: www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij