A disturbing new study has found that women make up a third of all assault victims who end up in hospital, and more than half of these women have been attacked by their partners.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) released the report earlier today, studying 20,000 people who were hospitalised after an assault in the 2013-14 financial year.
Interestingly, the report found that most assault victims were men, but there was a clear pattern in the injuries suffered by women.
“While women and girls are, overall, hospitalised as the result of assault at a rate that is less than half the equivalent rate for men (56 cases per 100,000 females, 121 cases per 100,000 males), the patterns of injury seen for females are different to that seen for males,” AIHW spokesperson Professor James Harrison said in a statement.
The report found that 6293 (31%) hospital patients that had suffered assault were women, and 69% of assaults against women took place in their home.
In fact, domestic violence was the main cause of assaults against women, with 59% of the women who identified the person who had assaulted them indicating that it was their spouse or partner.
“Parents and other family members accounted for nearly half the remaining cases where the type of perpetrator was specified,” the AIHW report said.
Women who were aged between 30-34 were assaulted at the highest rates for women, whereas men aged 20-24 were at a higher risk of being assaulted of the men.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Helpline: 1800 737 732 or 1800RESPECT.
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