Final answer:
More than half of IPV goes unreported due to reasons such as considering the matter private, fear of retaliation, protecting the abuser, and distrust in police response. The bystander effect further exacerbates the issue, as individuals hesitate to report abuse, especially when they do not personally know the victim.
Step-by-step explanation:
Accurate statistics on the prevalence of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) are difficult to ascertain, primarily because it is estimated that more than half of such incidents go unreported. According to research, reasons for underreporting include considering the matter private, fear of retaliation, desire to protect the abuser, and skepticism towards police response. For instance, Catalano (2007) reported that 22% of females and 39% of males consider abuse a private matter, while 12% of females and 5% of males do not report due to fear of retaliation. Victims who do report often endure the abuse for a significant period before doing so, with most victims indicating at least two years of abuse before their first report.
Moreover, even when abuse is reported by a third party, victims may deny the occurrence, with 29% denying abuse when confronted by the police, while surprisingly, 19% of assailants might admit to it. This demonstrates the complex dynamics at play, including fear, shame, or a sense of loyalty to the abuser. The bystander effect also contributes to underreporting; individuals often do not intervene or report abuse because they assume someone else will step forward. This is especially true if they do not know the victim, which could partially explain the prevalence of unreported abuse cases in different environments such as schools and workplaces.