Crime Statistics Series Volume V. Crime against Women in South Africa: an in-depth analysis of the Victims of Crime Survey data 2018

The Crime Statistics Series Volume V. Crime against Women in South Africa: an in-depth analysis of the Victims of Crime Survey data 2018 "report is based on the Victims of Crime Survey (VOCS) data and some administrative data, to a lesser extent, from the World Health Organisation (WHO). The purpose of the report is to highlight the gender impact of crime in South Africa, with particular emphasis on the impact of crime on women. This includes the impact of crime on households headed by women. Statistical evidence provided in this report may assist policy makers, law enforcement agencies and civil society to gauge progress and plan interventions for protecting women as a vulnerable group.

The purpose of this report is to present statistics for some types of crime perpetrated against women in South Africa to provide an assessment of the trends in, and extent of victimisation of women. Although the crime rate, in general, has decreased between 2013/14 and 2016/17[2]. violent crimes against women such as sexual assault and murder increased drastically between 2015/16 and 2016/17. For this reason, a more detailed analysis of violence against women will be published in a separate report. Women’s’ perception of crime is also another important area that warrants investigation. Perception of whether crime is increasing or decreasing and the level of fear of crime associated with these perceptions are important matters that need to be understood in order to inform policy."