The serious impact and consequences of physical assault

Abstract

Foreword | The prevention of assault has been a high-profle, long-term concern for government and police agencies. However, while the nature and impacts of certain types of physical violence, such as domestic or sexual assault, have been extensively studied, this is not the case for more traditional forms of physical assault. Understanding the needs of victims of physical assault, particularly in an Australian context, is important in order to ensure that services are adequately able to address these victims' needs. This paper represents the frst research to be published using the Australian Institute of Criminology's Database of Victimisation Experiences; a qualitative database that can be used to better explore the nature and impact of violent victimisation. In this paper, the fndings of an analysis of cases of non-domestic, non-sexual physical assault are described. While victims experienced a variety of psychological and physical difficulties consequence of assault, this study demonstrates how the impacts of victimisation often extended into wider aspects of victim/survivors' lives.