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Violence against women… by the numbers

2009

November 25 is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

December 6 marks the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in Canada.

Here are some facts related to violence against women in Canada.

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Homicides

146 — The number of female victims of homicide in Canada in 2008. On average, 178 females were killed every year between 1994 and 2008.

45 — The number of female victims of spousal homicide in 2008. Of these, 22 women were killed by their legally married husband, 10 by a common-law partner and 13 by a separated or divorced husband or common-law partner.

Source: “Homicide in Canada, 2008,” Juristat, October 28, 2009.

See also: “Homicide in Canada,” The Daily, Wednesday, October 28, 2009.

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Spousal violence (includes common-law couples)

36% — The percentage of female victims of spousal violence who report abuse to police. The equivalent number for men is 17%.

305 per 100,000 population — The rate of police-reported spousal violence against female victims in 2007. For males, the rate is 67 per 100,000. More than 8 of every 10 victims of spousal violence are female.

25 to 34 — The age group, among women, most likely to be victims of spousal violence.

13% — The percentage of female victims of spousal violence who were victims of major assault in 2007. The corresponding percentage for men is 23%. The difference may be due, in part, to the fact that women were more likely to use a weapon when assaulting their spouse, whereas men were more likely to rely on physical strength.

8% — The percentage of female victims of spousal violence who were victims of criminal harassment (stalking) in 2007, representing 2,565 women. In comparison, there were 326 male victims of criminal harassment by a spouse that year (5% of male victims of spousal violence). Stalking was much more likely among ex-spouses than among current spouses.

Source: Family Violence in Canada: A Statistical Profile, October 15, 2009.

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Shelters for abused women

61,690 — The number of women admitted to one of 569 shelters across Canada between April 1, 2007 and March 31, 2008.

3 out of 4 — The proportion of all women who sought refuge in a shelter on April 16, 2008 who were escaping abuse. The majority of these women were fleeing psychological or emotional abuse. As for other types of abuse, 55% of all women in shelters reported physical abuse, 39% threats, 36% financial abuse, 28% harassment and 24% sexual abuse.

1 out of 4 — The proportion of women residing in shelters to escape abuse on April 16, 2008 who had stayed at the shelter previously. Of these women, 32% had been there once in the previous year, 23% had been there two to four times and 13% had been there five times or more in the last year.

1 out of 4 — The proportion of women residing in shelters to escape abuse on April 16, 2008 who had reported the most recent incident to police.

299 — The number of women, along with 148 children, turned away from a shelter on April 16, 2008. The most frequent reason reported for turning people away was because the shelter was full.

1,315 — The number of women admitted to one of 30 on-reserve shelters between April 1, 2005 and March 31, 2006.

Source : “Residents of Canada’s shelters for abused women,” Juristat, May 13, 2009 .

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