Tuesday, January 18, 2005

Spotlight: Victim service agencies

360,000 sought help

SERVICE agencies across Canada that help victims of crime assisted almost 360,000 people in 2002/03, according to a first-ever survey.

A one-day survey snapshot, taken on October 22, 2003, showed that more than three-quarters of the people who sought assistance were victims, either directly or indirectly, of violent crime. The majority were women or girls.

Not counting those affected by homicide and victims of criminal harassment, one-half of the people served that day were victims of a violent crime committed by a family member, spouse, ex-spouse or intimate partner.

One-third had been victimized by a spouse, ex-spouse or intimate partner, while an additional 18% were victimized by a family member other than a spouse.

$82m spent on services

Of the 600 or so service agencies in Canada, 484 responded to the survey. Of these, 430 reported information on expenditures. They spent more than $82 million on victim services in Canada during the year.

The characteristics of those assisted by victim services reflects the fact that many agencies reported targeting certain victims for services, particularly victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.

Overall, women and girls accounted for about three-quarters of the almost 4,400 people helped by victim service agencies on the day of the survey snapshot. Even when clients of sexual assault centres were excluded from the total, women still accounted for over seven in 10 victims helped that day.

Of the over 3,300 females assisted by these agencies, about 84% had been the direct or indirect victims of a violent crime. This compares with 59% of the almost 1,000 males served that day.

In addition, about 40%, or more than 1,300 females, were victims of violence by a spouse, ex-spouse or intimate partner.

Children under 18

Children under the age of 18 accounted for 18% of those helped by victim service agencies on snapshot day. Three-quarters of the boys in this age group, and about nine in 10 of the girls, were victims of a violent crime. Of the girls who received help, most were victims of sexual assault.

About 13% of agencies had special programs dedicated to ethno-cultural or visible minority groups, such as South Asians, East and South East Asians, and people from Latin America, Central or South America. One-quarter offered special programs dedicated to Aboriginal people.

Just over three-quarters of the 484 reporting agencies benefited from the work of 9,616 volunteers. Of these, 26 agencies or 5% of the total, were run completely by volunteers.

You can read the Juristat “Victim services in Canada, 2002/03” on our website.

For more information, contact Information and Client Services (1‑800‑387‑22231), Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics.

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© 2004, 2005 Statistics Canada.