Personal safety and violence

According to the publication from Australian Bureau of Statistics about Personal Safety Survey (2005), the definition of “violence” is like this: “Violence is any incident involving the occurrence, attempt or threat of either physical or sexual assault.” In the survey, it shows that 5.8% of women and 10.8% of men experienced violence in 12 months. Also by comparing women’s experience of physical assault by a male strange perpetrator, the percentage grew from 23% in 1996 to 36% in 2005.
For detailed information see http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/4906.02005%20(Reissue)?OpenDocument

From this statistics, we clearly see nearly 9% total of men and women experienced violence, and the percentage keeps growing. Such violence includes physical assault by strangers. This may happen to a girl just randomly walking on street in night. I have heard about news like young girl being raped then killed just 20 steps away from her home; also there was a Chinese student killed by home invader in his home but the body found after few months after his death.

If you don’t read the news relate to this issue, you would never know how dangerous in your city. I had an experience of being frightened in few months time, because I live in the one of the most dangerous suburb Waterloo, especially when the Chinese girl died in the balcony case and the next the news said a man just randomly wounded by an Aboriginal. I tried to get a special paper spray to protect myself and my home, but in Australian laws, we are not allowed to use a safe spray to keep the criminal away. I was so upset and carry a one meter long steel truncheon everywhere.

Lucky, I have not experienced any terrible violence, I hope that never going to happen.

Post by Yu Qing Li