Some findings from A Justice Department Report on Violent Crimes:
** Husbands or boyfriends killed 26 percent of female murder victims,
whereas wives or girlfriends killed three percent of the male victims.
** 78 percent of all women crime victims in 1992-93 knew the offender, who
often was an intimate, a level far above that for male victims. The
statistics agency said 40 percent of the female victims indicated the crime
had been committed by an acquaintance, 29 percent by an intimate such as a
spouse or friend and nine percent by a relative.
** Only 23 percent of the female victims said the offender was a stranger,
but about half the male victims reported the crime had been committed by
someone they did not know.
** Women were also more likely to be injured by intimates than by
strangers, the report said, adding that those injured by a violent act more
often notified the police.
** Black, white and Hispanic female victims were attacked by intimates at
approximately the same rates, it said. But rates were much higher for women
with low family income compared with those whose income exceeded $50,000.
** The report did not explain why women were more likely to be attacked by
intimates but the findings were consistent with previous reports.
** Nearly 11 million violent crimes in 1994, with two female victims for
every three male victims. That compares with two female victims for every
four male victims 20 years ago.
** The report said the rate for men has been decreasing while the rate for
women generally held relatively steady from 1973 until 1990 but then
increased.