
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, January 31, 1994                   TAG: 9401310095
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Short

WOMEN MORE AT RISK FROM ACQUAINTANCES

More than two-thirds of violent attacks against women in the United States were committed by someone the victim knew, substantially higher than the rate experienced by men, according to a Justice Department study released Sunday.

Moreover, the number of women attacked by spouses, ex-spouses, boyfriends, parents or their children was more than 10 times the rate for men, according to 400,000 interviews conducted for the Bureau of Justice Statistics between 1987 and 1991.

Attorney General Janet Reno said the findings "underscore the importance of forceful and effective action against the scourge of domestic violence." She noted that the Senate-passed anti-crime bill would strengthen laws protecting women and expand federal grants to deal with the problem.

The National Organization for Women's Legal Defense Fund called the study's findings "atrocious, but not surprising."

"This country cannot continue to keep its biggest secret: Thousands of women in this country are not safe from their husbands or boyfriends. Congress must act and it must act immediately. We are in a state of emergency," said Helen Neuborne, the organization's executive director.

The survey found that in a typical year approximately 2 1/2 million of the nation's 107 million women 12 years old and older were raped, robbed or assaulted, or suffered a threat or an attempt to commit such crimes.

- Los Angeles Times

by CNB