Victimization and Fear of Crime in Rural Tanzania

Abstract

The article presents findings from a crime victims survey which was conducted as a household survey in six Tanzanian villages in the summer of 2016. The results reveal that the villagers have been victimized at a high rate, mostly in relation to the theft of livestock or crops. While 37 percent of the households reported having been victimized during the last 12 months, 71 percent of all incidents were related to theft. Repeated victimization is not a rare case. Fear of theft is widespread and needs to be understood in the context of food security. Furthermore, the article pictures how victims deal with crime events in terms of reporting behavior, conflict mediation, and prevention measures.