CANBERRA, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- More than 1.5 million Australian women have experienced violence at the hands of a current or former partner, a landmark report has found.
Australia's first ever comprehensive report on family, domestic and sexual violence, published by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) on Wednesday, found that one in six women, equating to 1.6 million women, have been subjected to physical or sexual violence.
Comparatively, one in 16, or half a million, men were abused by a spouse.
Three in four victims of domestic violence reported the perpetrator as a male.
On average, one woman per week and one man per month is killed by a current or former partner.
Among women who experienced sexual abuse, 96 percent said the perpetrator was male, while split was more even among male victims, 49 percent of who said the perpetrator was female and 44 percent male.
"Women are more likely to experience violence from a known person and in their home, while men are more likely to experience violence from strangers and in a public place," AIHW spokesperson Louise York said in a media release on Wednesday.
The report also found that children who were abused younger than 15 years were three times as likely to suffer abuse later in life as those who were not abused earlier in life.
Women who, as children, witnessed domestic violence towards either of their parents were twice as likely to be a victim of domestic violence as an adult.
Barry Sandison, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the AIHW, said that while the report was significant it only served to prove that there was more work to be done on domestic violence.
"We know that family, domestic and sexual violence is a major problem in Australia, but without a comprehensive source of evidence and analysis, tackling such a complex issue will continue to be difficult," he said.
"It's important to note that while looking only at the numbers can at times appear to depersonalise the pain and suffering that sits behind the statistics, the seriousness of these issues cannot be overstated."
