Crimes of Need – Results of the Malawi National Crime Victimisation Survey

This document presents findings from the Malawi National Crime Victimisation Survey regarding the emotional and behavioural responses of crime victims. It details the priorities of victims following a crime and the specific preventative measures they adopted to avoid repeat victimisation across different crime categories.

• The primary desire for most crime victims in Malawi is to return to a normal life rather than seeking revenge or retribution, with the exception of bicycle theft victims, who prioritised recovering their property.
• Victims of different types of crime adopted specific behavioural changes to prevent repeat victimisation: those who suffered theft of personal property often kept valuables in a safe place (34.5%) or became more alert (25.1%); assault victims avoided certain places (32.8%) or stopped travelling alone (22.4%); and housebreaking victims improved property security (32.5%) or increased alertness (25%).
• Agricultural and livestock theft victims focused on protection and awareness: 50.7% of livestock theft victims took measures to protect their stock, and 56.8% of crop theft victims attempted 'target hardening' (physical measures like alarms or fences) or increased their awareness (28.4%).
• A small number of victims reported obtaining weapons for protection: one assault victim, two robbery victims, eight crop theft victims, and three stock theft victims.
• Victims who implemented changes to avoid repeat victimisation reported feeling safer in their daily activities or at home.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (n.d.). Crimes of Need – Results of the Malawi National Crime Victimisation Survey. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/CRIMES6REPONSE.PDF

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. Crimes of Need – Results of the Malawi National Crime Victimisation Survey. n.d. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/CRIMES6REPONSE.PDF.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=Crimes of Need – Results of the Malawi National Crime Victimisation Survey |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/CRIMES6REPONSE.PDF |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudiesndcrimes, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{Crimes of Need – Results of the Malawi National Crime Victimisation Survey}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/CRIMES6REPONSE.PDF}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }