By ERWIN CHLANDA
Territory women are 18 times more likely to be admitted to hospital as a result of drunken assaults than the national average.
And only in the NT is the female rate greater than the male, which is a factor of 5.3 times.
Curtin University researcher Tanya Chikritzhs says these figures are not affected by reporting bias, as much as other other sources, such as police reports.
“This is the serious end: If someone is admitted to a hospital ward with injuries they are bound to be serious,” she says. “Some of these people die.”
Her report found that more than 10,000 Australians were hospitalised in a single year due to alcohol-attributable assault.
An estimated 10,360 Australians aged 15 and over – an average of 200 people each week – were hospitalised in 2012/13 because of injuries attributed to alcohol-related assault.
Trends in estimated alcohol-attributable assault hospitalisations in Australia 2003/04 to 2012/13, showed that in 2012/13 four states – Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory – recorded rates above the national average with New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory all below the national average across all age groups.
Across the nation, men accounted for almost three-quarters (71%) of hospitalisations due to assault attributed to alcohol.
Males aged 15-29 comprised about half (47%) of all male alcohol-attributable assault hospitalisations.
Alcohol-attributable assault rates among 15-19 and 20-29 year old males were at least two times higher than for
the general population (everybody aged 15+ years).
There are downward trends in national per capita alcohol consumption.
“This may be due to a combination of tighter economic times and changes to alcohol taxation and pricing of some beverages, such as the so-called ‘alcopops tax’.
“Nevertheless, alcohol-related assault remains a significant cost to our health system and our community, showing we still have a long way to go in striking a healthy balance between enjoying a drink and reducing the harm that alcohol causes Australian society,” Professor Chikritzhs says.
PHOTO: Altercation in the CBD.
PLEASE NOTE: This report was amended at 12:30pm on October 29.
Thursday, April 25, 2024
The freedom of the press still furnishes that check upon government which no constitution has ever been able to provide – Chicago Tribune.
So sad. Just lost a lovely lady in our community.
Everyone makes choices in their lives and sadly some make ones that are not healthy.
Too many kids with no tucker in their homes for them to eat due to not only grog but
gambling and smokes.
We can’t blame anyone for our own actions. At some stage we all need to take responsibility and just start managing our money better, and stop the humbug and get help if we need it.
Since my last comment, I have done a bit of pondering.
Are the female rates higher because they cannot get into rehab?
Digging around I found that CAAAPU don’t offer voluntary beds to women. This, is usual, may be due to lack of funding.
There seems to be plenty of beds available to men, but not women.
Regardless of the circumstances, is this sexism at its peak?
Perhaps is worth the Alice Springs News doing some probing. Reporters have a way of finding the nitty gritty (Truth)…
[ED – Hi “Surprised” – here is one of many stories: http://www.alicespringsnews.com.au/2016/08/03/booze-rehab-funding-slashed/ ]