Intimate partner relationships and sexual assault bibliography

This resource sheet provides an overview of the research on sexual violence in gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, intersex, and queer (GLBTIQ) communities. Sections include: complexities around gender identity, sexual practice/sexuality, and biological sex; conceptualising sexual violence against GLBTIQ communities; current research and statistics; limitations of current research; service provision; barriers to reporting; and resources for service providers. Though documenting the sexual violence experienced by GLBTIQ communities is an important step towards acknowledging the harm caused by this violence, ensuring the provision of adequate and appropriate support services, and preventing violence, there is only limited research available to date.

This paper summarises the research literature on the role and impact of shame for victims/survivors of intimate partner sexual violence. International studies from 1999 onwards were reviewed, mainly concerning US and Australian research. Despite indications of a high prevalence rate of partner sexual violence, there seems to be more reluctance on the part of victim/survivors to report or discuss sexual violence compared to other types of sexual assaults. This paper explains the multi-faceted and destructive role played by shame, and the reluctance to disclose sexual violence, even when physical violence may be identified.

Violence against women is a global problem affecting women of all ages. Research and practice, however, has not always had a focus on the experience of older women survivors of violence in childhood and adulthood. Similarly, ageing theory often ignores the intersections of age and gender. Elder abuse, for example, is usually presented in a gender-neutral way. This paper presents findings from a study of a support group for older women survivors of sexual violence, facilitated by a rural feminist sexual assault support agency. Participation in the group facilitated a renewed sense of connection and reconnection for the women involved and led to engagement in a social action agenda to prevent sexual violence. The women experienced all the well-documented benefits of mutual support, as well as an enhanced sense of themselves as connected members of the community. In this way, the group processes and activities reflected the women's recontextualisation of sexual assault from a personal to a political issue.

The objective of this sytematic review is to investigate the effectiveness of interventions for preventing boys' and men's use of sexual violence. The focus is on high quality studies.

Based on the Australian National Mental Health and Well-being Survey of adults in 2007, this article investigates the association between gender-based violence and mental disorders and psychosocial functioning in women. It includes assessment of the lifetime to gender based violence, including intimate partner physical violence, rape, sexual assault, and stalking.

"The primary objectives of the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey are to describe: The prevalence and characteristics of sexual violence, stalking, and intimate partner violence, Who is most likely to experience these forms of violence, The patterns and impact of the violence experienced by specific perpetrators, The health consequences of these forms of violence ... This report presents information related to several types of violence that have not previously been measured in a national population-based survey, including types of sexual violence other than rape; expressive psychological aggression and coercive control, and control of reproductive or sexual health. This report also provides the first ever simultaneous national and state-level prevalence estimates of violence for all states. The findings presented in this report are for 2010, the first year of data collection, and are based on complete interviews. Complete interviews were obtained from 16,507 adults (9,086 women and 7,421 men)." - p. 1.

This paper highlights sexual abuse in intimate relationships as a risk factor for homicide and death. Based on the research literature, the first section reviews the associations between intimate partner sexual violence and homicide, and discusses homicide by the abuser, homicide by the victim, suicide by the victim, severity and repetition of violence, and sexual abuse as a controlling behaviour. The paper then reviews risk assessment issues, including non-disclosure by victims, obfuscation and denial by abusers, and the reluctance of domestic violence workers to ask, and considers how services can be improved through training, screening and referral, informing and supporting women, and responding to perpetrators.

This report presents statistics on the victims of crime in Australia in 2010. The information is taken from police data in each state and territory, where recorded, and supplemented with the National Crime and Safety Survey. Statistics include victimisation rates, victim characteristics, age and sex, victimisation in each state and territory, location of crime, use of weapons in crime, outcomes of police investigations at 30 days, relationship of offender to victim, and Indigenous victims of crime. Data is included where available for robbery, assault, sexual assault, homicide, attempted murder, manslaughter, kidnapping and abduction, blackmail and extortion, driving causing death, break ins, attempted break ins, unlawful entry, and motor vehicle theft.

This article suggests approaches to engaging men in family violence intervention programs. It discusses the nature of male family violence, principles of behaviour change work with men, addressing intimate partner sexual violence, and the cycle of violence. Starting points for introducing a discussion on sexual violence include the objectification of women in the media and male peer culture, positive aspects of healthy sexual relationships, and the use and impact of pornography.

This document sets out Australia's plan for reducing violence against women and children. The plan covers the period 2010 to 2022, and was developed the Commonwealth Government in conjunction with state and territory governments. It is based on the recommendations of the National Council to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children, as published in their report 'Time for Action: The National Council's Plan for Australia to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children, 2009-2021'. The National Plan targets domestic and family violence and sexual assault, and explains the six national outcomes it works towards, the implementation strategy, and State and Territory initiatives.

"'Intimate Partner Violence' is a resource for a wide range of professionals who work with children and families, from specialists working in social services, counseling, education, and child advocacy to experts in the fields of medicine, law enforcement, and mental health. Contents include contemporary concepts and research on the prevalence, nature, causes, and impact of IPV - a pervasive problem in our society that affects adults and children and crosses all socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic boundaries. Intimate Partner Violence addresses not only the initial impact on the victims, but also the consequences IPV has in later life and in subsequent generations as learned behaviors lead to a cycle of family violence. The intent of Intimate Partner Violence is not to offer a comprehensive clinical and forensic reference text meant exclusively for medical and technical professionals, but rather to provide a thorough overview to assist managers, supervisors, directors, and other front-line professionals who have the responsibility of setting and implementing policies in making informed and effective decisions."

This chapter aims to support legal practitioners working with women complainants in sexual assault cases. It describes issues for the practitioner in proving the truth of an assertion, explaining demeanour and delay in complaint, judicial warnings, and giving evidence in or out of court - revealing how the evidential process and court procedures favour a male approach to fact finding and can disadvantage many women.

This book investigates the co-occurrence of mental health and substance abuse problems in victims of intimate partner violence. After examining the research literature, the book presents findings from a study of 227 women in Western Australia, who were in contact with child protection or adult health services, on their experience of different types of partner violence, mental health issues, and use of alcohol, medications, smoking, or illicit drugs. The study sought to examine the prevalence and nature of comorbidity and partner violence, and whether types of victimisation could predict mental health or substance abuse problems.

This report presents statistics on the victims of crime in Australia in 2009. The information is taken from police data in each state and territory, where recorded, and supplemented with the National Crime and Safety Survey. Statistics include victimisation rates, victim characteristics, age and sex, victimisation in each state and territory, location of crime, use of weapons in crime, outcomes of police investigations at 30 days, relationship of offender to victim, and Indigenous victims of crime. Data is included where available for robbery, assault, sexual assault, homicide, attempted murder, kidnapping and abduction, blackmail and extortion, driving causing death, break ins, attempted break ins, unlawful entry, and motor vehicle theft, with comparisons from 2000.

The Giving Voice project uses the accounts of victim/survivors to provide further insight into the behaviours, strategies and tactics of sexual offenders. This report presents findings from the project, which features interviews with 33 victim/survivors of sexual assault in Australia, practitioner consultations, and a literature review of sexual offending strategies. The victim/survivor narratives about where, when, and how they were assaulted show that opportunities for sexual offending are deeply embedded in ordinary, everyday contexts. Perpetrators used the resources present in any given situation to overpower and overcome the women, and conceal, deny, and excuse the offence. The report discusses victim and perpetrator characteristics, the circumstances of the assault, perpetrator strategies and planning, and the implications of this research for prevention and policy.

In April 2009, the Australian Government declared a 'zero tolerance' position on violence against women and children, and acknowledged that, 'The Laws must be strong enough to hold perpetrators to account and offer justice and safety for victims and their families'. Indeed, there is increasing emphasis on responding to the needs of victim/survivors of sexual assault within Australian criminal justice systems. This has been demonstrated through myriad procedural and substantive law reforms that have been introduced over the past 40 years. Nonetheless, research continues to demonstrate that prosecution and conviction rates for sexual offences are not increasing, and that criminal justice system procedures are distressing and traumatising for victim/survivors. Understanding what victim/survivors see as justice and what they consider to be fair procedures are key to developing procedures to meet their needs. Drawing on the narratives of 22 victim/survivors of sexual assault, this article identifies what justice means to these victim/survivors and discusses four key aspects that relate to their procedural justice needs - information, validation, voice and control. The article considers how these can be applied to system procedures to promote meaningful and worthwhile justice system responses for victim/survivors of sexual assault.

Though more commonly used with juvenile crimes and minor misdeamours, restorative justice techniques are now being trialled in cases of sexual assault, domestic violence, and child sexual abuse. Opinion is divided on whether such informal, community-focussed methods are suitable for such violent crimes. This book brings together a collection of differing views, with examples from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States, and with Indigenous people. The chapters are: Resisting co-optation: three feminist challenges to antiviolence work, by James Ptacek; The role of restorative justice in the battered women's movement, by Loretta Frederick, Kristine C. Lizdas; Aboriginal women and political pursuit in Canadian sentencing circles: at cross roads or cross purposes?, by Rashmi Goel; A community of one's own? When women speak to power about restorative justice, by Pamela Rubin; Restorative justice, gendered violence, and indigenous women, by Julie Stubbs; Restorative justice for domestic and family violence: hopes and fears of indigenous and non-indigenous Australian women, by Heather Nancarrow; Restorative justice and youth violence toward parents, by Kathleen Daly, Heather Nancarrow; Opening conversations across cultural, gender, and generational divides: family and community engagement to stop violence against women and children, by Joan Pennell, Mimi Kim; Alternative interventions to intimate violence: defining political and pragmatic challenges, by Mimi Kim; Restorative justice for acquaintance rape and misdemeanor sex crimes, by Mary P. Koss; Restorative justice and gendered violence in New Zealand: a glimmer of hope, by Shirley Julich; Beyond restorative justice: radical organizing against violence, by Andrea Smith; and Re-imagining justice for crimes of violence against women, by James Ptacek.

Sexual assault, domestic and family violence are human rights violations, harming and limiting the lives of one third of Australian women. This report states that no woman should be a victim of domestic and sexual violence, and it focuses on strategies and actions of early intervention, prevention, improved services and justice. The report makes recommendations designed to confront the unacceptable level of injustice against women, and it gives both governments and communities a plan of action that need to be implemented to ensure safety, equality and justice for Australian women. It works towards the outcomes of: Communities are safe and free from violence; Relationships are respectful; Services meet the needs of women and their children; Responses are just; Perpetrators stop their violence; and Systems work together effectively.

In this article the author encourages the community to address intimate partner sexual violence (IPSV) and to change individuals' and systems' responses to the crime, to acknowledge the lived experience of victim/survivors and to take effective action to ensure their current and future safety. IPSV is a part of the wider context of violence where sexual violence is used as another dimension of abuse and control. Women who experience sexual violence by intimate partners are not likely to seek support or legal redress. There is a paucity of Australian research on the specific issue of IPSV, and the subject of sexual violence is rarely present in studies of intimate partner violence. Generally speaking IPSV remains hidden within the physical dimension of domestic violence or within the continuum of sexual violence.

This report presents statistics on the victims of crime in Australia in 2008. The information is taken from police data in each state and territory, where recorded, and supplemented with the National Crime and Safety Survey. Statistics include victimisation rates, victim characteristics, age and sex, victimisation in each state and territory, location of crime, use of weapons in crime, outcomes of police investigations at 30 days, relationship of offender to victim, and Indigenous victims of crime. Data is included where available for robbery, assault, sexual assault, homicide, attempted murder, kidnapping and abduction, blackmail and extortion, driving causing death, break ins, attempted break ins, unlawful entry, and motor vehicle theft, with comparisons from 1999.

This DVD examines the issue of partner rape. It is aimed at health and legal professionals, women affected by partner rape, men's groups, and the general community, and features interviews with women describing their experiences of partner rape as well as comments from police and health professionals. Chapters include: Women's stories; What is partner rape?; It would be one in a million, wouldn't it?; What kind of man does this?; A misplaced sense of entitlement?; Deny; Complicity of society - "You married the guy"; Why women stay; Why women don't report; A positive police response; How health professionals can help; The four steps; Acting with integrity to end partner rape; and The myths of male violence. This DVD is based on the 2008 research report, Raped by a partner.

'Raped by a partner: a research report' is the result of a collaboration between Women's Health Goulburn North East and Upper Murray Centre Against Sexual Assualt. It is based on information offered by women in the Goulburn Valley and north east Victoria. The author of the report has written this article about the research findings. She concludes that society is complicit in partner rape being recognised and unnamed. Many different groups in society played a role in silencing women such as police officers and doctors.

Perceptions about the mining industry and the rapid growth of mining communities in Australia has led to concerns that these communities are prone to higher rates of intimate partner violence than the general community. This paper provides a summary of research that examined the nature and prevalence of intimate partner abuse of women in Central Queensland's Bowen Basin region. Using data collected in June and July 2007 via telephone interviews, the survey asked about socio-demographic, relational, behavioural and health characteristics of participants. Of the 532 women surveyed, 11.5 percent had experienced physical abuse and 31.4 percent had experienced non-physical forms of abuse. A number of characteristics were found to be significantly associated with abuse. For example, depression was significantly associated with sexual assault and both depression and severe psychological symptoms were significantly correlated with all other forms of abuse. However, contrary to concerns expressed by human service providers, the study suggests that women in mining cultures do not experience greater levels of abuse than do women in the general community.

An online survey undertaken between September 2007 and February 2008 asked 390 gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual and transgender (GLBT) Victorians about their experiences of heterosexist violence and same sex partner abuse. It also asked them about: service access and quality when reporting incidents of abuse and pursuing cases through the criminal justice system; their knowledge and use of Victoria Police Gay and Lesbian Liaison Officers (GLLOs); and barriers and 'incentives' to their reporting and seeking assistance following an incident of heterosexist violence or same sex partner abuse. This report presents the survey results. It includes findings relating to: the incidence of violence and abuse; when and where it occurred and who perpetrated it; the degree to which GLBT people hide their sexual orientation or gender identity to minimise the risk of violence; reporting and seeking assistance; and barriers to increased reporting.

"Domestic violence does not begin the day an adult heterosexual male decides to beat and batter an adult heterosexual female to oppress and dominate her. Domestic violence is a complicated and multifaceted enigma that includes child, sibling, spousal, intimate partner, and elder abuse. Despite billions of dollars spent addressing domestic violence, the number of victims killed by intimate partners remains the same. The problem can be traced back to our very definitions of victim and abuse. Until we open our eyes to the blatant empirical evidence and come to some agreement on basic platform, this pervasive crime will not diminish. Presenting a rational and reasoned perspective that emphasizes evidence-based information rather than ideologically held beliefs, [this book]: challenges the effectiveness of existing policies and procedures and introduces 10 recommendations for change; summarizes the four most important federally sponsored reports and provides empirically based overviews of contemporary research and intervention efforts; supplies 20 pages of resources and references to studies and organizations that will be updated online; includes historical and current explanations of battering behavior and the importance of the accurate and unbiased identification of victims; explores differences and the implications of thoe differences in reporting rape and sexual assault, and the understanding of risk factors; considers the fallacy of ideological advocacy and presents legislation and policies in Colorado and California as cases in point."