Young women frequently experience sexual harassment and are fearful of sexual assault. Young men are most fearful of physical assault from particular sub-groups of other young men. Many of them still go out at night and use public transport. Women learn from an early age about the risks of sexual assault and harassment and are most afraid of these crimes. This fear is rational in the context of lifetime experiences of sexual harassment.
Most people have a general fear about 'unpredictable strangers', especially at night.
Official crime statistics do not reflect the constant low level incivilities and incidents of harassment which, over time, contribute to a person's sense of vulnerability and anxiety about becoming a victim of crime. Previous research has found that working with adolescents can be important in the primary prevention of domestic violence. In 1997, the Commonwealth Government's National Campaign Against Violence and Crime and the National Anti-Crime Strategy decided to work together on a joint project aimed at finding effective ways of working with adolescents to prevent domestic violence. This report is the main outcome of Stage 1. It includes a literature review, an audit of Australian violence prevention programs and the design of a pilot program.