 |
|
|
| Reports
and Statistics |
| |
|
|
| REPORTS |
| |
| |
| STATISTICS |
| Statistics
|
-
51% of all Canadian women
have experienced at least one incident of sexual or physical violence.
Close to 60% of these women have survived more than one incident of
violence. (Statistics Canada, 1993, "Violence Against Women Survey",
The Daily, 18 November, p. 1, 3)
-
62% of the victims who reported
being sexually assaulted in 1998 were under the age of 18. (Statistics
Canada, Juristat, Vol. 19, No. 9)
-
In 2000, women made up the
vast majority of victims of sexual assault (86%) and other types of
sexual offences (78%). (Statistics Canada, 2001, Family Violence in
Canada: A Statistical Profile, 2001)
-
-
In cases reported to police,
80% of sexual assault survivors knew their abusers. About 10% were
assaulted by a friend and 41% were assaulted by an acquaintance. 28%
were assaulted by a family member, while the remaining 20% were assaulted
by a stranger. (Statistics Canada, 2003, The Daily, 23 July)
|
|
|
| Reporting
Sexual Assault |
-
Victimization surveys show
that less than 10% of women who are sexually assaulted report the
assault to the police. (Federal/Provincial/Territorial Ministers Responsible
for the Status of Women, 2002, Assessing Violence Against Women: A
Statistical Profile, p.19)
-
It is estimated that over
80% of women who are sexually assaulted do not report due to humiliation
or fear of re-victimization in the legal process. For women of colour,
that fear is worsened by the experience of racism. (Ontario Women's
Directorate, 2002, Sexual
Assault: Reporting Issues
|
|
|
| Sexual
Assaults: Girls and Young Women |
-
In 2002, children and youth
accounted for 61% of sexual assault cases reported to a subset of
94 police departments. Girls represented 79% of those cases. (Statistics
Canada, 2004, Family Violence in Canada: A Statistical Profile, p.1)
-
54% of girls under the age
of 16 have experienced some form of unwanted sexual attention. 24%
of these have experienced sexual assault, and 17% have experienced
incest. (J. Holmes and E. Silverman, 1992, We're Here, Listen to Us:
A Survey of Young Women in Canada)
-
In a Toronto survey, young
women identified that their highest safety concern was about assault.
Since women are most vulnerable to sexual assault, harassment, and
other forms of gendered abuse, their concern is consistent with their
experiences. (City of Toronto, 2002, Speak Up: Toronto Youth Talk
about Safety in Their Community, p. 12)
-
In a Canadian study, 25%
of all female post-secondary students in 1993 had been physically
and/or sexually assaulted by a male date or boyfriend. 1 in 5 male
students surveyed said that forced intercourse was all right "if he
spends money on her", "if he is stoned or drunk", or "if they had
been dating for a long time". (H. Johnson, 1996, Dangerous Domains:
Violence Against Women in Canada, p. 115, 120)
|
|
|
| Women
Living with Disabilities |
- 83% of women with disabilities will be sexually
assaulted during their lifetime. (L. Stimpson and M. Best, 1991, Courage
Above All: Sexual Assault against Women with Disabilities)
- The rate of sexual abuse of girls with disabilities
is four times that of the national average. (S. Razack, 1994, From Consent
to Responsibility, from Pity to Respect: Subtexts in Cases of Sexual
Violence involving Girls and Women with Developmental Disabilities,
Law and Social Inquiry, Vol.19, No. 4, p. 891-922)
|
|
|
| First
Nations Women |
-
-
Up to 75% of survivors of
sexual assaults in Aboriginal communities are young women under 18
years old. 50% of those are under 14 years old, and almost 25% are
younger than 7 years old. (S. D. McIvor and T. Nahanee, 1998, "Aboriginal
Women: Invisible Victims of Violence", in K. Bonnycastle and G. S.
Rigakos, eds., Unsettling Truths: Battered Women, Policy, Politics
and Contemporary Research in Canada, p.65).
|
|
|
| Women
of Colour |
-
Women of colour may be more
vulnerable to sexual assault because of racist sexual stereotypes,
and these stereotypes on the part of the police and the courts mean
they may have less access to justice. (Canadian Research Institute
for the Advancement of Women, 2002, Factsheet: Women's
Experience of Racism: How Race and Gender Interact
-
Sexual assault and abuse
are rarely discussed in low-income Toronto communities where women
of colour live, and most resources are concentrated on preventing
young men from committing crimes. (P. Kholsa, 2003, If Low Income
Women of Colour Counted in Toronto, p. 59)
|
|
|
| Women
Living in Poverty |
-
Combined with stigmatization,
stereotyping, state scrutiny, and inadequate social support, poverty
and unemployment are significant predictors of being vulnerable to
violence. (Y. Jiwani, 2002, Mapping
Violence: A Work in Progress)
-
Women with low household
incomes, low levels of education and/or who are unemployed are at
higher risk of being sexually assaulted than women in general. (H.
Johnson, 1996, Dangerous Domains: Violence Against Women in Canada,
p.108-109)
|
|
|
| Women
and War |
-
-
Sexual violation of women
can destroy a community in a way that few weapons can. The damage
can be devastating because entire families will take on the violation
and pain of sexual assault. (Unicef, 1996, "Sexual
Violence as a Weapon of War", Unicef, Marking 50 Years for Children,
Launches Anti-War Agenda)
|
|
| |
| © 2006 Mount
Allison University
Maintained by Heather Bembridge
September 5, 2007
|
