Indigenous young women far more likely to be hospitalised after assault, study finds

Indigenous girls and young women have much higher rates of hospitalisation from assault than non-Indigenous girls and young women, a new report reveals.

Young Indigenous women are hospitalised from assault at much higher rates than non-Indigenous young women and girls. Source: AAP

Young Indigenous women are admitted to hospitals as assault victims at much higher rates than non-Indigenous young Australians, a new report has found.

During 2011-13, the rate of Indigenous girls and young women attending hospital from assault was 486 cases per 100,000, more than 17 times higher than 28 cases per 100,000 non-Indigenous young women.

The report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare said overall, Indigenous children and young people are about one-and-a-half times more likely to have injuries that require hospitalisation than other Australians in the same age-range.

The largest difference was among those aged 18-24, where there were almost 4000 cases per 100,000 among indigenous people versus 2280 for other Australians.

The highest rates were in remote and very remote areas where over half of children and young people hospitalised due to injury were Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders.

And that's despite the fact they make up just 36 per cent of the population in those regions.

Falls accounted for the most frequent cause of injury for indigenous children and young people, followed by assault, transport crashes and intentional self-harm.