ABSTRACT
This chapter is concerned with understanding the violence that occurs in the context of intimate and sexual relationships. In terms of quantity and harm this is perhaps the most significant category of individual criminal behaviour. The vast majority of this violence is carried out by men and is aimed at women. Issues of masculinity, identity and shame again come to the fore.
Two particular topics are explored in this chapter: firstly, crimes of violence that occur in the context of sexual or family intimacy and secondly, crimes involving sexual behaviour. The first topic includes incidents of ‘domestic violence’, that is, crimes of violence that occur within the context of intimate relationships. The second topic examines those crimes involving sexual behavior, that is, rape, sexual assault and paedophilia.
This topic demands further understanding of the violence that occurs in relationships between people, and particularly how violence interacts with issues of gender.
