Saskatchewan Federation of Police Officers 27 The Government of Canada is working to increase its knowledge about this form of violence. As is the case with many forms of violence, those who experience family violence may not report it to the police for a variety of reasons, including fear for personal safety and fear of stigma/shame. Here are some key facts: FAMILY VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN AND YOUTH Canadian police-reported data (2019): • 22,299 child and youth were victims of family violence that year and girls accounted for six in ten of victims (60%). • Consistent with previous years, rates of family violence against children and youth were significantly higher among girls than boys (379 versus 239 victims per 100,000 population). • Among all child and youth victims of violent crimes, 34% of girls were victimized by a family member compared with 29% of boys. The majority of girls (19%) and boys (20%) who experienced family violence that year were victimized by a parent. • Sexual offences were the most common form of family violence perpetrated against girls. As observed in previous years, rates of sexual offences were more than four times higher among girls than boys (170 versus 37 victims per 100,000 population). • Rates of sexual offences, regardless of age groups, were higher among girls than among boys. However, rates varied within each population– rates of sexual offences among girls peaked among those aged 12 to 14 (275 victims per 100,000 population) while for boys they peaked among those aged 6 to 11 (50 victims). In comparison, rates of physical assaults peaked at ages 15 to 17 for girls (311 victims) and 12 to 14 for boys (218 victims). • In the provinces, rates of family violence against child and youth were higher in rural areas than in urban areas. In rural areas, girls had a rate of family violence that was twice as high as girls living in urban areas (652 versus 325 victims per 100,000 population) and a similar situation was observed for boys (398 versus 208 victims). INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE Police-reported data (2019): • In Canada in 2019, of the 107,810 people aged 15 and over who experienced intimate partner violence (IPV) 79% were women. • As in previous years, 2019 rates of IPV were more than 3.5 times higher among women than among men (536 versus 149 per 100,000 population). Self-reported data (2018): • Overall, 44% of women who had ever been in an intimate partner relationship - or about 6.2 million women aged 15 and over - reported experiencing some kind of psychological, physical, or sexual abuse in the context of an intimate relationship in their lifetime (since the age of 15). More specifically, women were significantly more likely than men to have experienced any form of IPV, including physical abuse (23% versus 17%, respectively), sexual abuse (12% versus 2%), and psychological abuse (43% versus 35%). • Women, relative to men, were considerably more likely to have experienced the most severe forms of IPV in their lifetime (since the age of 15): being made to perform sex acts they did not want to perform (8% versus 1%), being confined or locked in a room or other space (3% versus 0.5%), being forced to have sex (10% versus 2%), being choked (7% versus 1%), and having harm or threats of harm directed towards their pets (4% versus 0.8%). • Among people who experienced intimate partner violence in their lifetime (since the age of 15), women are about four time more likely than men continued THE FACTS Image by freepik.com
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