Sexual violence in women's lives. Findings from the Women's Safety Project, a community-based survey.

Abstract

This article is a summary of the methods and quantitative prevalence findings from a community-based study of sexual violence in women's lives. The research was based on in-depth face-to-face interviews with 420 women who comprised a random sample of women living in the city of Toronto, Canada's largest urban center. The study generated findings on the prevalence and effects of various forms of sexual abuse and violence in women's lives, including an exploration of the links between these forms of violence over the course of women's lifetimes. Sexual abuse in childhood (including incest), sexual assault, sexual harassment, and physical assault in intimate relationships were documented, as was revictimization and the increased vulnerability for sexual assault and violence experienced by many women sexually abused in childhood. Among the findings were that 1 in 4 women in the sample was physically assaulted by a male intimate, 1 in 2 women reported being raped or experiencing an attempted rape, and nearly half of the respondents reported experiencing some kind of sexual abuse before reaching 16 years of age.