Home is where, according to StatsSA, murder is often planned and committed, and youngsters mature into hardened criminals. In its latest Victims of Crime Survey — which looks at sexual violence, assault and murder — StatsSA paints a bleak picture of crime and our perceptions of it.

The report is based on information obtained from crime victims and on police crime data. Those surveyed were asked about their perceptions and experiences of crime.

According to the report, 43% of those surveyed believe crime is worse than ever, with only 28% believing it is decreasing. Speaking to The Times yesterday after the release of the report, statistician-general Pali Lehohla said the report confirms that South African homes are far from safe.

“Highly concerning is that this study shows that crimes are predominantly being committed within the ‘safety’ of our homes by the very people we expect to protect us.

“It is inside our homes that plots — driven by jealousy and greed — are hatched by our children and our youths. The home is where our country's young children learn from their older siblings and come to believe that real life is about assault, sexual violence and murder.”

Relatives, spouses and friends were the main perpetrators of sexual offences (76%) in the home. Lehohla said that, whatever crime strategies the police adopted, many crimes would continue unabated unless behaviour and values changed.

Researchers were worried by the large increase in violence and sexual assault in the workplace. The report, welcomed by civilrights activists, reveals the economic effects of crimes such as sexual and other assault, and murder.

Families whose sole breadwinner was murdered are often left destitute . ‘Our homes are certainly not becoming safer for women. Women sexually harassed and assaulted at work often quit their job.

The report gives the most common motives for sexual assault as:

• Attempted rape: 58% of incidents in the home, 28% at work;
• Anger and/or jealousy: 41.2% of incidents in the home, 72% at work.

The report shows that, although the percentage of sexual assaults outside the home declined from 49% in 2011-2012 to 25% in 2014-2015, the percentage for sexual violence in the home for that period rose from 26.8% to 40%.

The report gave no numbers corresponding to the percentages . In the workplace, the proportion of sexual assaults jumped from 4.3% in 2013-2014 to 15.3% in 2014-2015.

The report has no figures for 2011-2012. It showed that, of the men who were victims of sexual assault in 2014-2015, 63.2% were attacked at home, and 33.1% on the street. Of women who were victims of sexual assault, 21.6% were attacked on the street, and 47.9% at home. Seven of every 10 women are victims of sexual offences, with an increasing pattern of the “spouse or lover being the main offender”.

The proportions of such perpetrators rose from 11.3% in 2013-2014 to 31% in 2014-2015.