National surveys indicate that American Indian and Alaskan Native (AIAN) women
have higher rates of rape and sexual assault victimisation compared to women
from other race/ethnic groups. These statistics were brought to the forefront of
media attention when an Amnesty International (2007) report illuminated the
obstacles many AIAN women have when seeking justice for rape victimisations.
Despite this attention, empirical research that examines rape and sexual assault
against AIAN women is still in its infancy. The purpose of this article is
twofold. We first provide a methodological review of the epidemiological
research that has attempted to measure the magnitude of rape against AIAN women
at both national and local levels. We then examine National Crime Victimization
Survey (NCVS) data to determine how the contextual characteristics of rape and
sexual assault victimisations against AIAN women differ from those of African
American and White women. Results indicate that AIAN victims are more likely to
face armed offenders, and more likely require medical care for injuries
sustained as a result of the attack. Sexual assaults against AIAN women are also
more likely to be interracial and the offender is more likely to be under the
influence of drugs or alcohol, compared to attacks against other victims.
Although victimisations against AIAN women are more likely to come to the
attention of police, they are much less likely to result in an arrest compared
to attacks against either White or African American victims. Directions for
future research are provided.
Based on data collected from college students in Beijing and Hong Kong (China) and in Newark and Detroit (United States), this study assesses and explains citizen preferences of 2 major formalized responses to intimate partner violence (IPV)--law enforcement and social services intervention--in a cross-cultural context. Results show that Chinese respondents have lower support for law enforcement responses. Regional variation is only observed within China with students from Hong Kong supporting both law enforcement and social services responses more than their Beijing counterparts. Results also show that social attitudinal variables--including male dominance ideology, perceptions of IPV causation, support for the criminalization of IPV, and tolerance of IPV--influence public preferences of responses to IPV more than do demographic and experiential variables.
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