Lesson 2, Theme 2 CMY1502

A general profile of crime victims Study unit 1.2

• You should be able to describe the social and demographic characteristics of crime victims after
you have worked through the information in the guide.
• As with the previous lesson I want you to select a crime incident where you can identify the
victim, with this example in mind, you may now proceed with the information in the guide.
• The key concept in this unit is repeat victimization

Social and demographic characteristics of crime victims

• Any person, young or old, etc. has the potential to become a victim of crime
• Some characteristics can make a person more vulnerable

Age

• According to statistics and research findings why are young people more at risk of being
victimised than older people?
• List the reasons, you can also consult additional sources, see the chart below
• In 2011 Siegel indicated that the risk of victimization declines after the age of 25, is it still
applicable in 2024?
• Siegel (2011) also indicated that the elderly are less likely to become victims of violent crime.
• What is the situation in SA?
• Cape Town - A total of 137 cases of elderly abuse have been reported to Western Cape social
workers between 2021 and 2022 but this is not the true reflection of the interpersonal violence
inflicted on older people daily (Serra, 2022).
• According to a 2022 report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), one in six people 60 years
and older experience some form of abuse throughout the globe (Serra, 2022).
• Why are the elderly susceptible to fraud and schemes?
• Do you agree with the following explanations?

• They are:
• raised to be polite and trusting of others.
• less likely to say no to a con artist.
• more likely to have a nest egg.
• changes that can occur in aging brains mean many elderly people are at risk for grandparent
scams and other financial swindles.
• high interest rates promised by fraudsters can generate money that can guarantee a better
lifestyle

Open Rubric
• Source: Who are the Victims of Crime? - ReviseSociology
Gender

• Women are six times more likely than men to become victims of rape, domestic violence and
sexual assault
• Men on the other hand are more likely to become victims of violent crime
• Women are more likely to be victimized by people they know or live with and men by strangers

Source: Violent crime victims by gender — Bradshaw Advisory

Source: Violent crime victims by gender — Bradshaw Advisory
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE

SOURCE: SA: The violent crime crisis and the war against women - Gender Links

SA: THE VIOLENT CRIME CRISIS AND THE WAR

AGAINST WOMEN
Date: June 7, 2022

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By Susan Tolmay,

Johannesburg, 7 June: On 3 June 2022, Minister of Police, Bheki Cele presented the
quarterly crime statistics for reported crimes in the period 1 January to 31 March 2022
which he noted were especially brutal for women and children.

The statistics present a number of worrying trends. Overall, there has been a 9,3%
increase in reported crimes in the country, which is troubling. But this number masks
even more alarming spikes in violent crime, especially against women and children, with
double digit increases in these crimes.

There were 6 083 murders in the first three months of 2022, 1 107 more murders or a
22% increase for the same period last year. This works out to 77 murders a day. Of
these murders 898 (15%) were of women, an increase of 134 (17,5%) for the same
period last year. And the murder of children under the age of 17 years has increased
37,2% to 306 murders in the three month period. Eighty percent of murders were of
men or people who identify as male.

If I could make a tragic comparison. There were more murders in South Africa over the
79-day period than there have been civilian deaths in the 100 days of Russia’s invasion
of Ukraine, making South Africa a more dangerous place than a war zone. South
Africans are at war with each other.

The biggest causative factors for murder are arguments/misunderstanding (not

domestic-related)/Road Rage/Provocation followed by vigilantism/mob justice and
retaliation/revenge/punishment, crimes largely perpetrated by men, and which point to
some of the toxic masculinity displayed in society.

Masculinity is a social construct, rooted in power and patriarchy and built on the idea
that men are supposed to act in a certain way according to certain notions of the ideal
man, such as being physically strong, the protector of the family, he takes part in
masculine activities and risky behaviours, and that he is sexually virulent. Toxic
masculinity is where the notions and ideals of what it means to be a man lead to dire
consequences for the man himself, and/ or for the people around him and is one of the
major reasons for sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV)
This toxic masculinity plays out in the home, the workplace, public space and politics
and is evidenced in the shockingly high number of rapes and sexual assaults that take
place daily. In total, sexual offences increased by 13.7% to 13,799 – the majority of the
reported offences being rape. In the first three months of this year, 10 818 rapes took
place, that’s 137 rapes a day, or six rapes per hour. And that is just the rapes that are
reported, but we know there is significant under reporting of rape and sexual
violence. Almost half, 4,653, of these rapes took place at the home of the rape victim or
the home of the rapist.

Sex-disaggregated data on selected domestic violence related crimes during the

reporting period tells a stark story of the war taking place in the home, where women
are the majority of the victims. Women were 95% of rape victims and 96% of sexual
assault victims. Eighty eight percent or 12,314 incidents of common assault in the home
were perpetrated against women. Sex disaggregated data on victims of all crimes, as
well as their sexual orientation and gender identity, and data on the perpetrators of
these crimes, would shed more light on the gender dimensions of crime in the country.

But the high levels of femicide and SGBV is not a new phenomenon and feminist and
women’s rights activists have been ringing the alarm bell for many years. In August
2018 thousands of women said enough is enough and embarked on demonstrations
across South Africa to protest the scourge of gender-based violence, through
the #TotalShutdown campaign. Since then there has been a lot of talk about how to
address SGBV in the country.
In November 201, the government partnered with non-governmental organisations to
hold a National Gender Summit, which resulted in the development of the National
Strategic Plan (NSP) on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF), which was
launched on 30 April 2020. In 2021 the president committed R12 billion of government
funds, over three years, to implement the NSP on GBVF, an unprecedented show of a
financial commitment to address GBVF. What is not clear is how this money has been
allocated. But despite the government’s commitment to addressing gender-inequality
the 2022 Budget speech makes no mention of addressing violence, discrimination and
inequality of women.

Although these are all steps in the right direction, feminists and women’s rights activists
are frustrated by the lack of progress in meeting the 24 Demands put forward by the
#TotalShutdown, there is too much talk and too little action and accountability.

The latest crime statistics show, once again, that South Africa needs to urgently
address the violent crime crisis in the country. If something is not done to understand
and address the root causes of violent crime in the country, more women will die, and
we will be telling the same story this time next year.

Susan Tolmay is the Gender Links Gender and Governance Associate. This story is
part of the Gender Links news series.

2 THOUGHTS ON “SA: THE VIOLENT CRIME CRISIS AND THE WAR

AGAINST WOMEN”

Lily Rose Nomfundo Mlisa

July 22, 2022 at 12:47 pm

Crime in South Africa is rife. However, remote rural communities take the brunt of all
because they are forgotten society by the local municipalities to national government.
Lack of educational awareness against GBV both at community level, church and at
schools. Tradional customs are making it difficult to report it. Worse part of it local NPO
do not even get any type of support from local municipalities and funding resources are
scarce as there is no training on how to write proposals etc. It is a pity all funders
identify only NPO who are in towns and cities for funding. It 8s a grave concern. From
my village killers walk freely and no law enforcement. Villages are sites of not only
poverty but drugs, alcohol and all lead to daily house burglaries, stock theft, rape and
killing of women and worse old women and those with no husband’s. Policy do not even
know how to manage and follow GBV cases most are referred to as family matters to be
sorted out by families. Social workers are like not even there as they complain of no
transport or resources. It is a sad story for remote rural areas. Forgotten famillies.

REPLY

Lily Rose Nomfundo Mlisa

July 22, 2022 at 12:48 pm

Crime in South Africa is rife. However, remote rural communities take the brunt of all
because they are forgotten society by the local municipalities to national government.
Lack of educational awareness against GBV both at community level, church and at
schools. Tradional customs are making it difficult to report it. Worse part of it local NPO
do not even get any type of support from local municipalities and funding resources are
scarce as there is no training on how to write proposals etc. It is a pity all funders
identify only NPO who are in towns and cities for funding. It 8s a grave concern. From
my village killers walk freely and no law enforcement. Villages are sites of not only
poverty but drugs, alcohol and all lead to daily house burglaries, stock theft, rape and
killing of women and worse old women and those with no husband’s. Policy do not even
know how to manage and follow GBV cases most are referred to as family matters to be
sorted out by families. Social workers are like not even there as they complain of no
transport or resources. It is a sad story for remote rural areas. Forgotten families.

Marital status

• Statistics reveal that single people, whether young, divorced, or widowed are more likely to be
victimized than married people
• Can you list reasons why this is likely to occur?

• Read the following abstract:

Age, Marital Status, and Risk of Sexual

Victimization: Similarities and Differences
Across Victim–Offender Relationships
Julie A. Siddique View all authors and affiliations
julie.siddique@untdallas.edu

Volume 31, Issue 15

https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260515579507
Abstract
By now, age and marital status are well-established correlates of criminal victimization,
including adult women’s sexual victimization. National crime statistics, as well as a large body
of scholarly literature, have specified that younger women and unmarried women are at
comparatively higher risk of sexual victimization than older women and married women. Few
studies, however, have examined the relationship between age, marital status, and risk of
victimization across diverse situational contexts of sexual victimization. The current study used
data from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) to examine whether the relationship
between age, marital status, and risk of sexual victimization varied across victimization
experiences involving three victim–offender relationships: stranger, acquaintance, and intimate
partner. Results indicate both similarities and differences in the relationship between age, marital
status, and risk of victimization across these three situational contexts of victimization. As
expected, age was a significant predictor of victimization in all models; however, younger
women’s increased risk of victimization was far more pronounced for acquaintance and intimate
partner victimization experiences as compared with stranger experiences. Also, consistent with
prior research, unmarried women were at higher risk of victimization in all models; however,
within unmarried status categories, separated women were at highest risk of both intimate partner
and acquaintance victimization experiences as compared with never married or divorced women.

Race and ethnicity

• What is the worldwide tendency?
• Please rad the abstract:

Race, Ethnicity, Risky Lifestyles, and Violent

Victimization: A Test of a Mediation Model
Arelys Madero-Hernandez and Bonnie S. FisherView all authors and affiliations
maderohera1@nku.edu

Volume 7, Issue 4
https://doi.org/10.1177/2153368716651476

Abstract
Empirical studies have established that Blacks and Hispanics are two of the most
violently victimized racial/ethnic groups in the United States, but the mechanisms
that underlie these disparities in victimization risk are not well understood. This
study tests a mediation model developed from criminal opportunity theories that
may explain the disparities. Using data from the Project on Human Development in
Chicago Neighborhoods, the results show that Black and Hispanic adolescents were
twice as likely as their White counterparts to be violently victimized, and these
disparities remained after controlling for demographic characteristics and prior
victimization. As to the hypothesized sources of these disparities, there was mixed
evidence regarding the mediation model. Although risky lifestyles were significantly
related to violent victimization and eliminated all disparities between Black and
White youth, they failed to eliminate victimization disparities between Hispanics
and White youth. The implications of these findings are discussed in light of theory
and victimization prevention.

Income
• Why is low income groups more at risk of becoming victims of violent or non-violent crimes?
• Read the following article:

Poverty Isn’t Just About Having a Lack of Resources

The effects that poverty has on crime can be explained in multiple
ways. For starters, there is a higher rate of untreated mental illness
that is in populations struggling with poverty compared to wealthier
populations. Now most people who struggle with a mental illness will
never commit a crime, but there are some types of severe mental
illness which increase the risk of an individual committing a crime.

Untreated severe mental illnesses are particularly significant when

looking at links between poverty and homicide. On the other end of
the spectrum, those who are mentally ill are also victimized by
violent crime at much higher levels than the general population.

Yet despite these facts, the number of beds at mental health

hospitals and treatment facilities are lower in the United States today
than they were in 1850.

But a mental illness isn’t the only link that there is between poverty
and crime. Being in poverty often leads to high levels of stress. An
overwhelming desire to meet certain basic needs becomes the
highest priority. Over time, if those needs cannot be met, then some
individuals will commit robberies, burglaries, and other forms of
them. It can also lead to violent acts, though in the mind of the
perpetrator, the actions are seen as a method of self-defense.
Poverty also creates fewer opportunities, some of which co-exist with
mental illness and a lack of being able to meet basic needs. If an
individual is struggling with an untreated mental illness, then it is
difficult for them to hold down an employment opportunity. Without
a job, it is difficult to find money to meet basic needs.

A lack of resources also creates inferior educational opportunities for

households in poverty, some actual and some admittedly perceived.
Yet the perception of a lack of education is enough for individuals in
poverty to create self-fulfilling prophecies regarding their future.
Because they believe there aren’t good quality schools out there, then
there aren’t good quality jobs out there. People feel the need to fight
for themselves.

This leads to the creation of gangs and gang affiliation. Then the
cycle continues to perpetuate itself again and again. Crime is simply a
means to an end. It’s a way to obtain what is needed without a
legitimate means to do so because it seems like there isn’t a
legitimate opportunity to avoid crime.

It’s a cycle that feeds upon itself. And often the prize of a successful
crime outweighs the risk of being caught, which further increases the
crime rate in areas of poverty.

Isn’t Poverty a Reflection of a Person’s Choices?

In a free-market society, a common belief regarding poverty is that
each person is responsible for their own circumstances. It’s a
stereotype that has fed more stereotypes, such as the idea that drug
and alcohol use is more prevalent amongst households in poverty. It
is true that one of the risk factors for drug use is poverty.

The same is true for alcoholism. Yet the stereotype is that the risk
factor not only applies to everyone in poverty, but that everyone is
struggling with some form of addiction. If they could only get a job,
they would be fine.
And since drug use and public alcohol use is often illegal, these
activities then contribute to the local crime rate.

In reality, the problem comes back to the stresses that occur when a
household or individual is living in poverty. Not being able to have a
basic need met, like knowing when your next meal will be or what it
will be, can lead people to a breaking point. They seek out any relief
that they can find. Many times, that relief ends up being in a bottle or
a needle.

Stress relief also involves risky decisions to alleviate, if but for a

moment, what poverty is placing upon an individual. It’s the reason
why risky sexual encounters are accepted in poverty-stricken areas.
That brief monetary reward is enough to purchase another fix that
can help someone forget where they are. Then they repeat the
behavior because the reward of forgetting is worth the risk of future
health problems or getting caught.

Greater Socioeconomic Gaps Also Encourage

Greater Crime
Setting all stereotypes aside, poverty influences crime rates because
at its core, it highlights and reinforces the differences between the
wealthy class and those who are poor. The greater the gap happens
to be, then the greater the benefits are to a thief to use that wealth
in some way to their own advantage.

This socioeconomic gap is seen in many different ways in our society

today.

• Children who come from homes in poverty are more likely

to be expelled from school or to have a police record than
a child who makes the same choices as the poor child, but
has more overall wealth.
• Societies that have age gaps are also prone to more crime
when poverty is a factor in the community. This is because
of the number of possessions that elderly households are
perceived to have, along with the natural vulnerability
which comes with age.
• Communities which have a higher percentage of
inhabitants that are under the age of 25 may also lead to
higher crime rates, especially if there are large
socioeconomic gaps between different households of that
age group.
Source: How Poverty Influences Crime Rates – Vittana.org
Neighbourhood

• Read the section in the guide wrt to the influence of squatter camps on victimisation
• You may also watch a YouTube video: (6) Crime in SA | Pimville residents want squatter camps
to go - YouTube
• How do rural and urban areas differ? Significant/ identifiable factors?
• Read the following article: Urban and rural victimisation
• 2017 NCVRW Resource Guide: Urban and Rural Victimization Fact Sheet (ncjrs.gov)

Repeat victimization
• Victim-proneness refers to some individuals or groups who are subject to repeated incidents of
victimization
• Read through the presented by Van der Hoven & Maree (2005)
• Wiesel (2005) refers to mainly two reasons repeat victimization occurs:
• That is the flag and boost explanations
• Watch this YouTube video: Repeat Victimization - Bing video