Fear Of Victimization Research Articles

Fear of Crime and Victimization: An Explorative Study

The fear of crime is a new dimension of crime. It is not only a burning issue in Bangladesh but also all over the world. Fear of crime was theorized to be related to experiences of victimization, but this assumption was soon to be disputed. This study is based on empirical data which are from quantitative and qualitative research methods and the research is exploratory in nature. This study finds that 38-47 years of age group 36% of them are highest victimized by fear of crime. And 71% of males and 29% of females are victimized by fear of crime. Fear of crime affects far more people in Bangladesh than the crime itself, and there are sound reasons for treating crime and fear of crime as distinct social problems. Every year a huge number of people are suffered from fear of crime. Fear of crime has a great impact on our education, economy, and infrastructure. Important links exist between fear of crime and causation of victimization, location of occurrences, time of victimization, presence of law enforcement agencies, and levels of knowledge of the victims about the victim support services. The study findings play an important role in policy making and also for the upcoming researcher in the criminological arena.

Examining Avoidance, Victimization Risk, and Perceptions of Community Safety in Latinx Communities

Latinx adults are increasingly avoiding formal authorities, local services, and community engagement out of fear of victimization and deportation. Increased distrust and fear of authorities threaten to erode individual and community feelings of safety. While crime prevention scholarship identifies community efficacy, local engagement, and bonds to formal institutions as critical components to creating safety within local communities, there is little research to date on how avoidance in response to victimization impacts these processes. This study utilized data from 53 qualitative interviews of Latinx adults to understand the ways that bias victimization and discrimination alter feelings of community safety. Participants expressed distrust of formal institutions and decreased community engagement. They also leveraged informal networks like friends and family, emphasizing the nuanced impact of avoidance on community organization.

Local violence and transitions to marriage and cohabitation in Mexico

AbstractObjectiveTo assess whether local violence is associated with the timing and type of women's first union formation.BackgroundLocal violence may cause disruptions to marriage markets and psychological and behavioral changes that may affect union formation patterns.MethodThe authors exploited the variation in homicide rates caused by a shift in national drug‐enforcement policy in Mexico in December 2006. Competing‐risks Cox models and union histories from a nationally representative survey of women (N = 33,292) were used to assess whether a recent increase in violence was associated with the timing of the first union transition, which could be either marriage or cohabitation. Analyses were conducted separately by education level.ResultsA recent increase in the local homicide rate was associated with delayed first marriage formation for less educated women. Supplementary analyses suggested that a decrease in the number of employed men per women, as well as reduced social interaction due to fear of victimization could be plausible causal mechanisms. No statistically significant associations were found between a recent increase in violence and transitions to first cohabitation for the less educated, or with any first union transition for the moderately and more educated.ConclusionAmong less educated women, a recent increase in violence was associated with a delayed entrance into marriage as a first union transition.ImplicationsBy increasing their barriers to marriage, local violence may contribute to the accumulation of disadvantage among disadvantaged women and families.

Fear of Religious Hate Crime Victimization and the Residual Effects of Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia

Abstract An individual’s fear of hate crime victimization might be partially explained by direct experiences that influence their assessment of victimization risk. In some cases, though, fear of hate crime victimization is driven not by direct, personal experiences, but by historical and contemporary trauma suffered by those holding the targeted status. Using data from the 2019 nationally representative Experiences with Religious Discrimination Study (ERDS) survey, we show that part of Jewish and Muslim adults’ greater fears of victimization is explained by their past personal victimization experiences, their knowledge of close friends and family who have been victimized, and their greater religious visibility. Still, even after accounting for these factors, Jewish and Muslim adults report greater fears of religious hate crime victimization compared to Christian adults. We attribute this residual fear to the culture of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia within the United States and violence attributable to that culture, as well as the collective memory of historical religion-based victimization of Muslim and Jewish communities. These findings suggest the collective memory and knowledge of contemporary religious victimization may continue to affect Jewish and Muslim adults via a mechanism of fear, which has implications for scholarly and policy efforts to decrease religious victimization and its impact.

“F*cking politeness” and “staying sexy” while doing it: intimacy, interactivity and the feminist politics of true crime podcasts

ABSTRACT Podcasts possess the unique affordance of “hyper-intimacy” that allows listeners to tap into personal experiences and emotional connections. Intersecting with social media spaces, these connections provide for the formation of online communities that encourage listeners to engage in discursive politics and to view their own experiences as part of a feminist politics. Piggybacking on the “Serial Effect”, the true crime podcast, My Favorite Murder, became a cult sensation while connecting individual listeners to an online community of Facebook groups, twitter accounts and subreddits. In this paper I examine how, through a series of memes, jokes, stories and mantras, these MFM-focused online spaces have transformed an online podcast community into a subcultural space that advances discourses about challenging women’s fear of violence and victimization. Examining how the issue of violent crime against women is being understood and developed. I draw on the concept of discursive politics as well as the emerging literature on the potential of podcasting.

Adapting and Applying Offline Theory to Online Victimization: A Test of the Shadow of Sexual Assault Hypothesis with Fear of Online Victimization

ABSTRACT The shadow of sexual assault hypothesis has received considerable support in explaining women’s fear of crime. However, this hypothesis has yet to be tested in relation to online victimization. Utilizing a sample of undergraduates, this study tests the shadow hypothesis in the context of the Internet by examining the impact of fear of unwanted online sexual advances on individuals’ fear of online victimization, generally. Findings indicate that men’s and women’s levels of fear of online victimization differ, with women being significantly more fearful of several types of online victimization. Multiple regression findings also show that the effects of fear of unwanted online sexual advances may account for the relationship between sex and fear of online victimization.

“I Am Actually Sitting With Fear”: Narratives of Fear of Crime and Actual Victimization in the Western Cape Province, South Africa

In the Western Cape Province of South Africa, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) provide direct services for residents of underserved areas where gang violence is rampant. The purpose of this qualitative study is to create a context specific understanding of fear of crime, explore experiences of actual victimization, and identify the strategies participants use to adapt to community challenges at an NGO in the province through in-depth semi-structured interviews with Black and Colored women. Actual victimization was experienced by more than half of the sample, fear of crime was the main barrier for almost half of all participants to effectively use the NGOs services, and 40% of women adapt to community challenges by remaining resilient or coping with violence through avoidance.

Absence of a Legal Framework, a Limitation to the Practice of Surrogacy in Nigeria

Introduction: The human passion for procreation and perpetration of lineage has remained since existence. Surrogacy implies the use of a substitute mother to gestate a pregnancy for another woman and thereafter relinquishes the child/children and any parental entitlement to the child/children to the commissioning parents. It is a veritable option for couples who have not been successful in their efforts to bear children. Objective: to assess the awareness, practice, and limitations to practice of surrogacy in Igbo Ukwu community of Anambra State, South- East Nigeria. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study which involved 200 male and female community members of Igbo Ukwu in Anambra. Sample size of 200 was calculated for the study using the Kish formula for cross sectional studies. Simple random sampling was used in selecting participants who converged in the community square. A structured self-administered questionnaire was employed in gathering information on socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge, practice, and limitations to practice of surrogacy. Data was analyzed using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0. Descriptive statistics was used to summarize the results which were presented with the aid of a pie chart, bar chart and frequency tables. The level of significance was set at 95% probability level (p < 0.05) Result: Most of the research participants were within the age group 28 – 37 years (40.0%), with mean age of 25.3+1yrs. The study population comprised mainly of people who had formal education (93.0%). There was high level of awareness of surrogacy arrangement in the studied population (84%). However, the practice of surrogacy was generally poor; only four (4) respondents out of 120 females that participated in the study (3.3%) had acted as surrogate mother. Financial benefit was mainly the reason for accepting surrogacy as noted in 47.8% of research participants, while fear of victimization due to absence of a legal framework (54.3%) and to a lesser extent, culture (27.1%) and religious inclination (28.6%) were the main reasons limiting the practice of surrogacy among the participants Conclusion: There is an obvious disconnect between the level of awareness and practice of surrogacy mainly due to fear of victimization from lack of a legal framework. This calls for a need to institutionalize a legal framework to control assisted reproductive technology practice in Nigeria which will restore the hope and aspirations of the infertile couple in need of surrogacy and other assisted reproductive techniques. Keywords: surrogacy, awareness, practice, limitations, legal framework.

외국인 밀집지역에서 범죄피해 두려움에 관한 연구

Our society has entered a multicultural society due to the residence of foreign workers, married immigrant women, and foreign students, and is moving toward the maturity stage of a multicultural society. When entering a multicultural society, foreigners form their densely populated areas, maintain or develop cultural characteristics, and provide a role to revitalize the local economy. However, in areas densely populated by foreigners, the influx of foreigners has a problem of lowering housing satisfaction and forming anxiety about safety. In this study, we tried to figure out the factors affecting the fear of crime victims experienced by Koreans in areas densely populated by foreigners. In particular, the purpose of this study was to examine the characteristics of the local community experienced in areas densely populated by foreigners and how it affects the fear of crime victims according to the perceptions of foreigners, such as conflict, prejudice, and acceptance of foreigners. To achieve the research purpose, secondary data from the ‘Safety Status and Policy Tasks in Areas Concentrated by Foreigners’ conducted by the Korea Institute for Criminal and Justice Policy were used. As a result of the study, it was investigated that ties with neighbors and physical disorder had an effect on fear of crime in the characteristics of the local community in densely populated areas of foreigners. Also, as a result of comparing these influencing factors, it was found that foreigner prejudice, physical disorder, and ties to neighbors affected the fear of crime victims in the order of preference. Based on these research results, policy recommendations were presented to minimize the fear of crime victims as well as the perception of foreigners.

The Role of Hate Crime Victimization, Fear of Victimization, and Vicarious Victimization in COVID-19-Related Depression

As the COVID-19 pandemic has spread and continued, much attention has been focused on the physical costs of the virus. That said, early research has also demonstrated an impact on mental health, including depression. At the same time, there has been a documented increase in hate crime victimization during the pandemic. Importantly, hate crime victimization—and fear of victimization—has also been demonstrated to increase depressive symptoms. Following this, we posit that hate crime victimization, and fear of victimization, may play a significant role in COVID-19-related depressive symptoms. We test these hypotheses using results from a sample of 3,117 participants who responded to a survey administered in May 2020. Results indicate that not only do a higher perceived personal risk of COVID and experiences with hate crime predict higher depressive symptoms but that hate crime experiences mediate the relationship between perceived risk of COVID and depressive symptoms.

The victimisation of farms in Ireland: fear of crime, social isolation and crime prevention

This paper explores farmer’s experiences of crime and their attitudes towards crime prevention in one rural hinterland. Farmer’s attitudes about safety and crime present a dichotomy: fear of victimisation was relatively high, yet few participants reported having been victimised, and there was a perception that agricultural crime was high in Ireland but low in their locality. Feelings of insecurity were partly influenced by the closure of rural Garda stations and uneven distribution of information technology. Participants were most concerned with theft of small machinery, violent coercion connected to fraudulent work, illegal dumping and trespassing, rather than thefts of expensive machinery and livestock. Participants reported being unable to afford some crime prevention measures and/or having insufficient time to implement them. The paper concludes by highlighting the relevance of Farrell and Tilley’s (2020) concept of elegant security to farm crime and discussing the role of community policing.

The criminalization of stalking and characteristics of court practices in stalking cases in Lithuania

Stalking is considered a serious public health problem as well as a harmful form of victimization often leading to severe consequences for the victim. Although there is still little agreement on the exact definition of stalking, it has been recognized that the core elements of stalking include deliberateness and recurrence of the stalker’s actions as well as victim fear and concern for safety. The main purpose of this article is to debate on the definition of stalking as well as provide the rates of stalking in Lithuania. Authors conclude that stalking refers to a constellation of a diverse range of actions and may include both direct communication with the victim and the use of cyberspace technologies. A rapid development of modern digital technologies leads to a wide variety of complex stalking behavior patterns that makes it complicated to generate an adequate legal response to this phenomenon. The results of a public survey conducted by a research group from the Law Institute of the Centre for Social Sciences in 2021 show that the rates of stalking in Lithuania are comparable to those reported in foreign studies as 17.5% of Lithuanian population have experienced stalking at least once during their lifetime. Stalking by the current or former intimate partner was the most prevalent stalking category, as it comprised nearly 39% of all stalking cases in the state. The article also covers some aspect of court practices in stalking-related cases during the period from 2016 to 2020, before anti-stalking legislation was introduced in Lithuania. By year 2021, when stalking was criminalized in Lithuania, 23 European Union member countries have managed to develop criminal anti-stalking legislation. Another aim of this article is to discuss the way criminal anti-stalking legislation was introduced in Lithuania and compare Lithuanian approach to the legal provisions enacted in other countries. Authors conclude that although the introduction of criminal anti-stalking legislation in Lithuania was an important step towards ensuring victims’ safety, it still may possibly lead to some practical issues during the criminal investigation of stalking cases.

Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Fear-Victimization Gap at School: An Examination of School Context and Trends Over Time.

This study examined racial and ethnic differences in adolescents' fear of attack or harm at school after adjusting for differences in violent victimization prevalence. We analyzed 49,782 surveys from 35,588 adolescents who participated in the NCVS School Crime Supplement (1999-2017). We tested whether differences in fear are attributable to youths' (1) experiences with non-criminal harms, (2) indirect exposure to crime and violence at their school, or (3) school security and disciplinary practices. We then examined trends in fear and victimization by race/ethnicity over a period of crime decline to determine how fear has changed relative to victimization across the racial/ethnic groups. In the pooled sample, Black and Hispanic youth had 93% and 74% higher odds than White youth of expressing fear at school, after adjusting for violent victimization and demographic characteristics. After accounting for non-criminal harms, exposure to crime and violence, and school security/discipline, Black and Hispanic youth had only 39% and 44% higher odds than White youth of expressing fear, respectively. Mediation analyses indicated that the explanatory variables explained half (50.2%) and one third (33.7%) of the difference in the odds of fear between Black and Hispanic youth compared to White youth. Analyses over time indicated that fear declined more for Black and Hispanic youth than White youth, despite similarly-sized declines in victimization across race/ethnicity. Altogether, the results suggest that racial and ethnic differences in fear of criminal victimization partly reflect differential experiences and environments at school. We consider the implications of our findings in terms of understanding how the school context influences fear differently across students' racial and ethnic identities.

Anti-Asian Xenophobia, Hate Crime Victimization, and Fear of Victimization During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

While the World Health Organization advised against referring to COVID-19 using racial overtones, as the COVID-19 pandemic spread, many disparagingly called it the “Wuhan virus,” the “Chinese virus,” and other terms. In this context, the FBI warned police agencies about an expected increase in anti-Asian hate crimes during the early months of the pandemic. But, while some researchers and media outlets discussed these potential increases at length, very few studies have been able to directly assess the nature of anti-Asian hate and bias victimization during the pandemic. Following this, the current study directly examines variation in anti-Asian bias and victimization in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, this research presents results from two studies using a survey of 3,163 non-Asian and 575 Asian American and Pacific Islander respondents, respectively. The first study examines the prevalence of anti-Asian xenophobia among the non-Asian sample and assesses differences in these prejudicial attitudes across respondent characteristics, while the second study examines variation in experiences with bias during the pandemic among the Asian sample. The results illustrate the ubiquity of anti-Asian sentiment, suggesting that those who indicate greater fear of the pandemic report more prejudicial attitudes, as well as important racial differences in these patterns. The results also demonstrate the extent to which the pandemic has impacted individual experiences with anti-Asian bias victimization, such that more than one-third of Asian respondents report bias victimization during the pandemic, and more than half of Asian respondents report that they know someone who has been victimized. These patterns have important implications for addressing COVID-19-related hate crime moving forward.

Demographic Vulnerability to Crime Victimization among Urban Residents in Informal Settlements in Nairobi, Kenya

The mushroom of the informal settlements in urban spaces has confined the urban poor in deplorable life at the periphery of socio-economic development. The residents in these informal settlements do not just have to grapple with a deprived lifestyle, they are also the key targets of criminality that is rampant in their neighbourhood. This study examined the demographic vulnerability to crime victimization amongst the informal settlement residents. The study focused on four slums in Nairobi, which included Kibera, Mathare, Korogocho, and Mukuru slums. The systematic sampling design was used to determine the 659 respondents. The questionnaires were administered to the respondents, this was quantitatively and qualitatively filled by the respondents to ensure a higher response rate. The study established that most residents were victimized by crime at least once and the common crime included the brewing and consumption of illicit brew. The other commonly experienced crimes included general robbery, burglary, muggings, drugs, assault, murder, robbery with violence, pickpocketing, sexual abuse, arson, kidnapping. Most of the residents lived with the fear of criminal victimization, with nearly a half of them falling victims of crime in the past year. Most of these criminal activities happened early in the evening and early in the morning and were perpetrated on the victims either along the way or in their homes. The crimes were mostly conducted with a weapon and the criminal attacks were often carried out by the youth and middle-aged individuals. The study recommended the establishment of sensitization programs to educate the residents about crime in their neighbourhood and the available ways of seeking justice. The study also recommended the enhancement of community policing in the informal settlement to protect the vulnerable girls who are susceptible to victimization due to the illicit brew that is sold and consumed in their neighbourhood

Exploring the impact of knife imagery in anti-knife crime campaigns

Abstract In response to rising knife crime levels across England and Wales, mass-media campaigns have sought to highlight the dangers of knife possession by publishing graphic pictures of blades and seized weapons. But what impact does such imagery have on a young audience? Using an experimental design embedded within a London Youth Survey, findings from the current article suggest that knife imagery can help to get the attention of young people, but may also make them feel scared and more worried about knife crime. Moreover, exploratory moderation analyses suggest the impact of knife imagery on feeling scared may be heightened amongst those already most concerned about knife crime. Policy implications are discussed—not least the extent to which it may be desirable to raise young people’s concerns about crime when the decision to carry a knife may itself be grounded in fear of victimization and self-protection.

Perceptions of police performance in a rapid-growth community

The purpose of this study was to assess citizens’ perceptions of police performance in a small, rural community that is experiencing rapid population growth. This unique setting differs from other cities and towns because of the pressure that it places on local police to respond quickly and effectively to rapid social changes. A multi-stage random sampling technique was used to gather 380 surveys completed by residents living in Williston, North Dakota during the fall of 2015. The findings revealed that, in general, residents believed that the police were doing a good job addressing community concerns; however, the analysis also revealed that such views were impacted by previous victimization experiences and fear of victimization. In addition, the results indicated that participant sex was significantly related to the perceived ability of police to maintain order on the streets, whereas marital status and the frequency of reading the regional newspaper were significantly related to the perceived ability of police to control crime in the neighborhood.

"It Gives You a Feeling of Pride when You Touch Her": The Role of Masculinity in Sexual Harassment of Adolescent Schoolgirls in Tanzania.

Sexual harassment or the unwanted offensive behaviours that women and girls experience is a pervasive global challenge. Yet, there is limited evidence on the lived experiences of sexual harassment from school-based settings in sub-Saharan Africa. We explore students' perceived experiences, perpetration, and drivers of sexual harassment in schools in Mwanza, Tanzania. This study employed a qualitative research design involving 30 in-depth interviews and seven focus group discussions with 30 male and 40 female secondary school pupils aged 13-19 years. Data was analysed using a thematic approach. The findings show that experiences of sexual harassment among schoolgirls were widespread. Common forms of harassment were verbal and non-verbal gestures of a sexual nature. The desire to prove one's masculinity and peer pressure were key drivers of perpetration among schoolboys. Teachers took advantage of their positions of authority to sexually harass female pupils and employed corporal punishment to those who resisted their advances. Sexual harassment had multiple negative outcomes, including schoolgirls dropping out of school and mental health issues, such as anxiety, stress and poor academic performance. Girls rarely reported sexual harassment for fear of further victimisation and stigma from others. Sexual harassment of girls is common in secondary schools in Mwanza and is mainly driven by peer pressure and the desire to prove one's masculinity. Given its harmful effects, there is a need to implement clear policies to protect girls, support confidential disclosure and reporting and to address toxic masculinity norms among young men.

Interaction satisfaction with university police: Procedural justice and perceptions of safety and fear on campus

We investigate student satisfaction with university police interactions in the context of the practice of procedural justice. Drawing from a telephone survey project with a randomized sample of 1,400 university students, we identified 56 respondents who indicated direct contact with campus police. Student perceptions of university police officer conduct is evaluated through: (a) student satisfaction with campus police contact, (b) individual-level predictors of satisfaction, (c) contextual predictors of satisfaction, (d) student perceptions of campus safety, and (e) student fears of victimization on campus. The data are analyzed using multiple logistic regression models assessing the impact of procedural justice measures on student perceptions. We find that procedural justice is a significant predictor of student satisfaction across police interactions. However, it has no impact on student feelings of safety and mitigating circumstances for fear of victimization on campus across gender.

“A rising tide floats all boats”: The role of neighborhood collective efficacy in responding to child maltreatment

BackgroundNearly one-quarter of the approximately 400,000 reports to child protective services originating from non-mandated reporters come from neighbors. Understanding factors leading non-mandated reporters to contact authorities is important because if modifiable, they might serve as intervention targets to promote reporting of suspected maltreatment. ObjectiveInvestigate associations between neighbors' reported responses to scenarios involving children in need, child/teen misbehavior, and suspected maltreatment with individual and neighborhood characteristics, including neighborhood collective efficacy, fear of victimization, and fear of retaliation. HypothesisIncreased collective efficacy would be associated with increased likelihood of neighbors taking action in response to the situation. Participants & setting400 caregivers of minors in Cleveland, OH, USA living in 20 census tracts. MethodsGeneralized linear mixed-effects modeling. ResultsAnalyses adjusted for covariates confirmed our primary hypothesis: a 1-unit increase in the collective efficacy measure was associated with a 64% increase in the odds of neighbors taking action compared to doing nothing (odds ratio = 1.64, 95th percentile confidence interval 1.41–1.92). Also, participants with less than a high-school education had 36% greater odds of reporting their neighbors taking action compared to more educated participants. An interaction effect between participants' fear of victimization in their neighborhood, but not fear of retaliation, was also observed: the effect of collective efficacy on the odds of neighbors taking action was substantially greater among residents expressing moderate and high fear of victimization. ConclusionEnhancing collective efficacy may be an effective strategy for fostering community response to suspected child maltreatment and other situations of a child in need because it may catalyze a variety of positive responses to these situations.