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In this section you’ll find industry statistics on abuse for both women and children as well as some informative reports on our work and industry. Read through the information so you can be informed about how abuse affects people in various ways.See below for informative stats and click on the reports to view them or download them to view anytime.
Women Statistics
Police data for 1999 indicates that 60% of all sexual assault victims are children and youth (under age 18). Parents are responsible for 42% of these sexual assaults. (Family Violence in Canada: A Statistical Profile, Ottawa Statistics Canada; cat. No. 85-224-XPE, 2001)
In the past two decades, police data indicate that, of all individuals who were murdered, approximately one-third were killed by a relative. (Family Violence in Canada: A Statistical Profile, Ottawa Statistics Canada; Cat. No. 85-224-XPE, 2000)
1 in 4 women will experience abuse in an intimate relationship in their lifetime. (Statistics Canada, 1993)
38% of sexually assaulted women were assaulted by their husbands, common-law partners or boyfriends. (Canadian Panel on Violence Against Women, 1993)
21% of women abused in an intimate relationship are abused during pregnancy. (Statistics Canada, 1993)
42% of women with disabilities have been or are in abusive relationships. (Disabled Women’s Network, 1989)
In 70 % of the reported cases of sexual assault, the victim knew the accused; 62% of the victims were under the age of 18. (Juristat: Canadian Crime Statistics, 1998, vol. 19, no.9)
Some 20% of women who leave an abusive partner experience continued (and often more severe) violence during or after the separation. (Canadian Social Trends, Statistics Canada, Autumn 1997)
Children witnessed violence against their mothers in almost 40% of violent marriages. (Violence Against Women Survey 1993, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics)
Six in 10 Canadian incidents of spousal homicide involved a history of domestic violence, of which police were aware. (Juristat; Homicide in Canada, 1998, vol. 19, no. 10)
Young women under 25 are at the greatest risk of spousal homicide. (Family Violence in Canada: Statistical Profile, 1999, Statistics Canada)
Children Statistics
In Canada, it is estimated that 800,000 children are exposed to woman abuse each year. (Jaffe, Poisson, October 1999)
Other studies estimate that between 60% and 80% of children in families where woman abuse occurs witness the abuse either by seeing or overhearing it. (Jaffe, Wolfe, Wilson, 1990)
3 out of 5 children in school classrooms across Canada are witnessing an assault on their mother at home. (National Clearing House on Family Violence)
Children exposed to woman abuse see, hear and are very much aware of the abuse their mothers face, even though parents may believe otherwise. (Child Witnesses of Woman Abuse, 2005)
Boys who witness their fathers abuse their mothers have a 100% chance of abusing their partners in future relationships, than sons of non-violent fathers. (Strauss, Gelles, Stiennetz, 1980)
Children under the age of 5 make up the largest proportion of children in shelters in Canada. (Transition Home Survey, April 2002)
75% of children did not disclose sexual abuse within a year of the first incident, and 18% waited more than 5 years. (Elliott nad Briere 1994)
In the National Health Survey, 90% of males and 75% females did not report their abuse experience. (Mathews, 1996, p.15)
Between 21% to 36% of sexually abused children will show little or no symptoms. (Oates, O’Toole, Lynch, Stern &Cooney, 1994)
At least 73% of high school students in both Toronto and London reported either they or someone they knew, had been in an abusive dating relationship. (Tikasz, D. (1990). Lindsay’s Story – Education for Date Rape Prevention: Facilitator’s Manual and Did You Know? (1990, July). Violence Prevention Newsletter)
50% of high school students surveyed in Toronto had been involved in date rape or knew someone who had. (Tikasz, D. (1990). Lindsay’s Story – Education for Date Rape Prevention: Facilitator’s Manual and Did You Know? (1990, July). Violence Prevention Newsletter)
57% of rapes happen while on a date. (Tikasz,D. (1990). Lindsay’s Story – Education for Date Rape Prevention: Facilitator’s Manual and Did You Know? (1990, July). Violence Prevention Newsletter)
One study on teens and sexual assault found that:
- 30% had been raped by a friend;
- 11% had been raped by a boyfriend;
- 78% did not tell their parents;
- 71% confided in one or more of their teenage friends – not someone experienced in helping;
- only 6% reported to the police.
(Tikasz, D. (1990). Lindsay’s Story – Education for Date Rape Prevention: Facilitator’s Manual and Did You Know? (1990, July). Violence Prevention Newsletter)
Canadian adolescents who reported witnessing spousal violence were 11.14 times more likely to use drugs, 8.43 times more likely to have suicidal thoughts and 4 times more likely to be charged with a criminal offence than those who were not witnessing. (Manion & Wilson, 1995, p. 27,29)
The greater the amount of violence towards a spouse, the greater the probability of physical abuse of a child by the abusive spouse. (Ross, 1996, p. 595)
Serious behavioural problems are 17 times higher for boys and 10 times higher for girls who have witnessed woman abuse, than those children who have not. (Jaffe, Wolfe, Wilson, 1990)
Children who are repeatedly emotionally abused frequently become emotionally impaired adults. Many become incapable of forming lasting and meaningful attachments with others. (Handbook for the Prevention of Family Violence)