Although women are significantly less likely than men to become victims of violent crime, they nonetheless experience more than 2.5 million violent events each year. Young women and women of minority groups are more likely than older women and women of majority cultures to be crime victims. Nearly two out of three women know their attackers prior to the assault.
Women are at greater risk than men for the crime of rape.
More than 426,000 of the 480,000 rapes or attempted rapes reported in the 1993 National Crime Victimzation Survey were reported by female victims. Rape risk is highest among younger women. The 1993 victimization figures show that 4.5 per thousand 12 to 15 year-olds were victims. For women 25 to 34, the rate drops sharply to 2.4 per thousand. Only about three out of ten rapes and sexual assaults are reported to police, according to 1993 estimates.