The Role of Gender in Non-Reporting Behaviors Following Crime Victimization

Background: Previous research on non-reporting behaviors following victimization has focused on sexual violence, primarily among women. In general, research is limited to non-reporting following domestic or sexual violence, and little research has compared help-seeking and reporting behaviors comparing behaviors by gender identity. The current study sought to address these gaps by investigating reasons why individuals are less likely to seek help or report victimization across varying types of violent crime and how this differs by gender.

Methods: A secondary data analysis of the 2022 Illinois Victims Needs Assessment was conducted for the current study. Participants were recruited through community partners across the state of Illinois to respond to an online survey regarding their access, use, and barriers to victim services. This included experiences with victimization or violence exposure to 7 violent crimes, including being physically attacked, sexually assaulted, or shot. Participants were asked 17 reasons they chose not to report to the police, and they could mark all options that applied. Options included statements such as: “I was too scared,” “I didn’t trust the police,” and “I was concerned the police wouldn’t believe me.” Descriptive analysis and logistic regression were utilized to investigate non-reporting and if this differed by gender. Regression models controlled for sociodemographic variables including race, ethnicity, age, and sexual orientation.

Results: Study sample included 1,114 individuals, with an age range of 15-70 (M= 30.61, SD = 6.99). The most indicated reason for non-report was that they feared retaliation against them or their family (n= 272, 24.4%). Other most reported reasons included: they reported the crime to someone else (n= 245, 22%); they previously reported to the police and felt it did not help (n= 218, 19.6%); concern the police would not believe them (n=199, 17.9%); and fear the perpetrator would get in trouble (n= 199, 17.9%). Compared to men women were 3.9 times more likely to not report for any reason (p<0.001). Additionally, men were 60% more likely to not report because they felt that the police would not believe them (p=0.02). A significant correlation was found between being physically attacked and not reporting their victimization (p<0.001).

Conclusions and Implications: Individuals most reported that they did not report a crime because they feared retaliation against themselves or their family. Two other common reasons for non-reporting included concern that the police would not believe them and fear that the perpetrator would get in trouble, both of which showed gendered differences in reporting. This has implications for clinical practice. First, it guides practitioners in providing trauma-informed, gender-competent services for victims and survivors. Second, it pushes the community to create resources that can serve every demographic of survivor in ways that do not only address domestic and sexual violence. Third, it calls for society to challenge gender stereotypes by avoiding shaming and judgment of those who are “not supposed” to call for help. Lastly, it calls for support systems to respect survivors’ choices not to report while also gently encouraging them to seek help in other ways if needed.