The top reasons given by victims for choosing not to report DV to police are: fear of the abuser’s retaliation for getting him into trouble with the law, and belief that police can not do anything about their private victimization. The National Violence Against Women Survey supports this belief in reporting that perpetrators of rape, assault and stalking combined, are prosecuted less than fifteen percent of the time.

There is no definitive research to show whether DV victims are more or less safe from the policy of mandatory reporting despite the observation that reporting has increased and statistics for DV prevalence have shown a decrease. Studies indicate that mandatory reporting is viewed as a barrier to medical assistance for victims. Transference of abuse from physical violence to less visible forms may be the true effect of legislative efforts to curb the problem.