Epidemiological surveillance data on female homicide is being used in New York City to track patterns in intimate femicides, homicides of women by their intimate partners. Using data on female homicides occurring between 1990 and 1999, the distribution of intimate femicides has been examined across population subgroups, geographic areas and over time. Risk of femicide in general and intimate femicide specifically is not distributed equally across the female population. For example, surveillance data suggests that foreign-born women are over-represented among intimate femicide victims, when compared with their representation among the general female population. The degree to which factors in a woman's social environment serve to protect her from intimate and non-intimate femicide remains underexamined; further consideration of these factors may offer the opportunity to test theories of violence against women and suggest practical approaches to prevention. Correlations between neighborhood characteristics and intimate and non-intimate femicide rates are examined and results are discussed in terms of barriers that women may face to obtaining safety from potentially lethal assaults by their intimate partners. Preliminary results indicate that poverty indicators are correlated with both intimate and non-intimate femicide, but that some factors exhibit stronger associations with rates of non-intimate femicide than intimate. Results from a multivariate model will be presented and discussed. These results are discussed light of the need to design community-based prevention programs that target populations and areas at greatest risk.
Learning Objectives: 1) To identify population subgroups and geographic areas at greatest risk of intimate femicide in NYC. 2) To describe the impact community-level factors may have on women's risk of intimate and non-intimate femicide. 3) To conceptualize prevention programs that integrate community strengths to reduce rates of intimate and non-intimate femicide
Keywords: Homicide, Women
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.