Estimating the Incidence and Prevalence of Violence Against Women

This article examines the national data systems and sources used to assess the extent and seriousness of violence against women. The major existing data sources consist of the Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation's Supplementary Homicide Reports, which provide data on intimate partner homicides, the Department of Justice's National Crime Victimization Survey, three national self-report surveys, and various data from hospitals and emergency rooms. Although there are a variety of national data systems that could be used to collect data on cases of violence against women seen and/or treated by health care instituions, such data systems are not yet able to provide local or national data. Self-report surveys, including the National Crime Victimization Survey, and a number of other national surveys have yielded estimates of the rates of violence against women that vary from 7.5 per 1,000 women to 117 per 1,000 women. The strengths and weaknesses of data sources, systems, and estimates are analyzed.