Any initiatives aimed at reducing it must therefore be part of long-term, integrated strategies. This introductory chapter provides a brief background to the purpose and operation of the National Homicide Monitoring Program, the data sets used, the limitations of the data, and a definition of homicide. It then presents data on homicide trends in Australia since 1915 and compares this data to other causes of violent death. Comparisons with international homicide rates are given in table form, covering prevalence of homicide, countries involved, and victimisation rates for males and females for the year 1993. The homicide victim's characteristics, the context surrounding the homicide and the relationship of the offender to the victim are addressed.
Results indicate that male and female homicide victimisation are qualitatively different.
The typical male victim is aged between 18 and 35, never married, not working, is killed by a male friend or acquaintance, and tends to be killed by a person from the same racial group. The typical female victim is aged between 18 and 26, is married or in a de facto relationship, not working, and is killed by an intimate partner. This chapter presents a profile of offenders in terms of their demographic and social characteristics. The typical offender is summarised as male, aged between 18 and 26, never married, not working, and Caucasian. With the exception of mass murders, homicide is, in the main, the result of a social interaction between victims and offenders occurring under a specific set of circumstances.