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Measuring Sexual Violence: Methods, Misconceptions, and a New (Revised) Measure  


Author:  Kimberly A. Lonsway, Ph.D..


Source: Volume 02, Number 04, Spring 2010 , pp.369-384(16)




Family & Intimate Partner Violence Quarterly

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Abstract: 

Studying incidence of sexual violence is more challenging than it might appear. Although a number of large surveys of crime victims are conducted each year, the usefulness of these findings regarding sexual assault is often mixed. In this article, Lonsway describes the strengths and weakness of four sources of data on sexual assault: the Uniform Crime Report (UCR), the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), and National Violence Against Women Survey (NVAWS). She also describes a relatively new instrument: the Revised Sexual Experiences Survey (SES). Finally, she offers recommendations on how to present sexual assault data gathered from the varying sources and interpret their meaning.

Keywords: 

Affiliations:  1: End Violence Against Women (EVAW) International.

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