Generally, domestic violence results in a greater degree of actual injury than violence that is not domestic violence. Domestic homicides accounted for one in four homicides between 1992 and 1994. Half of the women homicide victims in Western Australia in 1994 were killed by their partner or ex-partner. The risks of domestic violence are much higher for the young, the poor and Aboriginal women. The study found that domestic violence is not spread equally throughout the population.
Some groups suffer much higher rates.
Age Police, survey and hospital data all indicated that the risks for women below the age of 40 were much higher than for older women. The rates of domestic violence amongst Aboriginal women were staggering. Based on police figures, Aboriginal women are more than 45 times more likely than non-Aboriginal women to be a victim of domestic violence. The study found that women in lower socio-economic areas were more likely to be the victims of domestic violence than those from more affluent areas. If intervention and programmes are to effective they must be targetted on the areas of highest need and their impact must be evaluated - otherwise we could be throwing away money in ineffective programmes.