One in five Australian women have been stalked

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New data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) shows one in five women and one in 15 men have been stalked.
australian women stalked

New data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) shows one in five women and one in 15 men have been stalked.

An estimated 2.7 million Australians have experienced stalking, according to figures from the latest ABS Personal Safety Survey. The data was collected during the 2021-22 financial year.

Women who were more likely to be stalked were “young women, those who were studying or renting, and those under financial stress,” ABS Head of Crime and Justice Statistics William Milne said.

Findings

The ABS surveyed Australian adults in 2021-22 about their experiences of violence for its Personal Safety Survey (PSS).

It found women were almost eight times more likely to be stalked by a man than a woman.

Men reported being stalked by men and women “at a similar rate.”

Around one million women experienced stalking in the decade to July 2022, the PSS found. Nearly half were stalked by a male intimate partner.

“Half of the women who were stalked by a male intimate partner were assaulted or threatened with assault by that same partner,” Milne said.

Common stalking behaviours by this group of perpetrators included:

  • Maintaining unwanted contact with victims online or by phone (78%)
  • Loitering around a victim’s location, such as their home or work (60%)
  • Following them in person or tracking them electronically (53%)

1800 RESPECT:

Call: 1800 737 732
Text: 0458 737 732
Video: 1800RESPECT.org.au

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