Sexual, Physical Violence In California Called ‘Epidemic’
One in every 25 people in California has suffered intimate partner abuse, according to the Center on Gender Equity and Health at the University of California San Diego, and 18 percent of Californians are projected to have experienced physical or sexual violence in the past year.
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A new report in California says that sexual and physical violence is causing a health crisis in the state.
According to the most recent annual report from the California Study on Violence Experiences across the Lifespan (CalVEX) from the Center on Gender Equity and Health at the University of California San Diego, violence is increasing in California, with notable increases since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
CalVEX is a multi-year survey-based evaluation of violent encounters in the state. The study for this year, which was released on Thursday, is based on a survey taken in March 2022. Researchers combine survey findings with demographic estimates to create estimated victimization rates.
One in every 25 people in California suffered intimate partner abuse, according to research, and 18 percent of Californians are projected to have experienced physical or sexual violence in the past year.
Since the onset of the pandemic, rates of physical and sexual abuse have risen, with the physical violence experience by men nearly doubling between 2020 and 2022.
Men in California were more likely than women to have reported physical violence, according to survey responses, while women are more likely to report on the survey experiencing varying acts of sexual violence.
Men were more than twice as likely as women to report having perpetrated sexual or intimate partner violence themselves, and almost 1.5 million Californians are estimated to have committed such crimes in the previous year.
“Californians are experiencing violence at epidemic proportions,” said Anita Raj, PhD, professor at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Division of Social Sciences and principal investigator for the CalVEX.
“Our findings suggest the rising rates of violence are linked to the harsher social climate, economic insecurity, and poorer physical and mental health that many Californians have experienced over the last few years due to the pandemic.”
Audrey Nielsen is a TCR contributing writer.
