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Urban crime and violence: Conditions and trends57The survey data generally shows declining rates ofburglary for all regions, with the exception of WesternEurope, with relatively dramatic drops in Africa, Asia andLatin America. Police-reported data for EU countries showsan average decrease of 10 per cent in domestic burglaries forthe period of 1997 to 2001, and no change in burglaries forthe period of 2001 to 2002. 47 Despite the reporteddecreases, African nations, and especially African urbanareas, still have the highest reported overall levels ofburglary, with victimization rates of over 8 per cent of thepopulation in sub-Saharan Africa (see Figure 3.12).Although a non-violent crime, burglary is a veryserious offence in developing regions such as Africa, giventhe fact that people generally have fewer goods in the firstplace. More Africans believe that they will be victimized byburglary than people in any other region. Nonetheless, thereporting rate for burglary in Africa is 55 per cent, with onlyAsia reporting a lower rate of 40 per cent. Other reportingrates are 84 per cent for Oceania, 72 per cent in Europe and59 per cent in the Americas. 48 Reporting rates for burglary,like many other crimes, tend to be related, in part, to theperceived competence and integrity of the police and publicauthorities by citizens.Intimate partner violence and child abuseIntimate partner violence (IPV) has global, national and localsignificance as a type of contact crime that may culminate inhomicide, assaults and property damage or public orderoffences. It is aggressive, violent, coercive and threateningbehaviour from a spouse, dating partner or ex-partner thatoften entails psychological abuse. Also known as domesticabuse, IPV negatively affects many intimate relationships andfamilies worldwide. Due to the sensitive and personal natureof exposure to domestic violence, many victims do notreport the crime to authorities. 49 Surveys in the UK showthere were almost 500,000 official reports of domesticviolence in 2000. Furthermore, 4 per cent of women and 2per cent of men were victims of non-sexual domesticviolence during 2001. 50 A national study within the USestimates that 29 per cent of women and 22 per cent of menare victimized by IPV (including physical, sexual and psychologicalabuse) during their lifetime. 51Globally, women are significantly more likely thanmen to be victims of IPV. A recent international study by theWHO interviewed over 24,000 women from ten differentcountries about their experiences with intimate partnerviolence. The majority of women (between 51 and 71 percent) from Peru, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Bangladesh reportedexperiencing physical or sexual violence from an intimatepartner. Women in other countries reported less physical orsexual violence from a partner, such as Brazil (29 per cent),Namibia (36 per cent) and Japan (15 per cent). Sexualvictimization was less common than physical abuse by anintimate partner for most women. However, between 30 and56 per cent of victimized women experienced both physicaland sexual assaults from a partner. 52 Box 3.1 illustrates theplight of women in South Africa, including some of theunderlying risk factors associated with IPV.Per 100,000 inhabitantsPercentage30025020015010050864200Selected countrieswith high robbery ratesAll countriesof the worldEuropeanUnionNorthAmerica1980 19851990 19952000LatinAmericaAfrica Asia EasternEuropeAustraliaNorth WesternAmerica EuropeFactors predictive of women’s increased likelihood ofbeing victimized by an intimate partner include age (youngerwomen are at a higher risk); lower socio-economic status;less education; childlessness; less social support; andexposure to abuse in the family of origin. Factors predictiveRecorded crime per 100,000 population5004003002001000Figure 3.8Trends in reportedrobbery per 100,000individuals (selectedregions)Source: Shaw et al, 2003, p.50Figure 3.9Victimization rates forrobbery (one-yearperiod)Source: adapted from del Frate,2003, p132Note: Data indicates percentageof population robbedduring a one-year period. Datarecorded in years between1989 and 2000.Figure 3.10Police-recordedrobberySource: UNODC, 2005b, p60South AmericaSouthern AfricaWest and Central EuropeCentral AmericaNorth AmericaCaribbeanOceaniaEast EuropeCental Asia andTranscaucasian countriesNorth AfricaEast and Southeast AsiaEast AfricaSoutheast EuropeSouth AsiaNorth and Middle EastSouthwest Asia