Family violence in Canada: A statistical profile, 2013: Highlights
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Section 1
Overview of family violence
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- In 2013, police reported that there were 87,820 victims of family violence in Canada. This represents a rate of 252.9 victims of family violence for every 100,000 individuals in the population. In comparison, the rate of victimization for violent crimes that were not family-related was 712.8 per 100,000 population.
- Spousal violence was the most common form of family violence in 2013, with nearly half (48%) of family violence occurring at the hands of a current or former spouse (married or common law).
- Following spousal violence, victimization by a parent was the next most common form of police-reported family violence, representing 17% of family violence victims.
- In 2013, more than two-thirds (68%) of all family violence victims were female.
- The risk of family violence varies with age and overall, tends to be lowest for seniors, followed by young children (9 years and under), and highest for adults in their 30s. While this pattern was generally similar for male and female victims, female rates of family violence peaked at age 30 to 34, whereas for males, rates were highest from age 15 to 19.
- Common assault was the most frequent form of family violence reported to police, experienced by over half (58%) of victims, followed by intimidation offences (17%), such as criminal harassment, indecent telephone calls or uttering threats.
- More than half (55%) of family violence victims suffered no physical injury. For those that sustained injuries, the vast majority of these injuries were minor, calling for no professional medical treatment or first aid only. When injuries were sustained, they were much more likely the result of the use of physical force (84%) against the victim, rather than the use of a weapon (16%).
- Charges were laid more often in police-reported family violence incidents (56%) than in violent incidents that were not family-related (46%).
- Trend data indicate that police-reported incidents of family violence have decreased in recent years. From 2009 to 2013, rates for the most prevalent form of police-reported family violence, physical assault, dropped 14%, spousal victimization declined 17% and incidents involving other family members fell 10%.
- Rates of homicides committed by family members continue to fall for both male and female victims. Family-related physical and sexual assaults have also declined modestly in recent years.
Section 2
Intimate partner violence
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- In 2013, there were more than 90,300 victims of police-reported violence by an intimate partner (including spousal and dating partners) accounting for over one quarter of all police-reported victims of violent offences.
- Dating violence accounted for 53% of police-reported incidents of intimate partner violence, while spousal violence represented 47%.
- As with violent crime in general, adults in their twenties and thirties experienced the greatest risk of violent victimization by an intimate partner. In particular, rates of intimate partner violence were highest among 20Â- to 24-year olds.
- Similar to previous years, common assault (level 1) was the most frequent type of police-reported intimate partner violence. Major assault (levels 2 and 3), uttering threats and criminal harassment were the next most frequent offences.
- Charges were laid or recommended in the majority (71%) of intimate partner violence incidents reported to police.
- Rates of intimate partner homicide have remained stable in recent years. In 2013, the rate of homicides committed against a female intimate partner stood at 3.74 per million population. The rate of intimate partner homicide was 4.5 times higher for female victims than for male victims.
- Between 2009 and 2013, the rate of the most prevalent form of police-reported intimate partner violence, common assault (level 1), fell 11%.
Section 3
Family violence against children and youth, 2013
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- According to police-reported data for 2013, about 16,700 children and youth, or 243.5 for every 100,000 Canadians under the age of 18, were the victims of family-related violence. This represented over one-quarter (29%) of all children and youth who were the victims of a violent crime.
- Physical assault was the most common type of police-reported family violence against children and youth. Sexual offences were the second most common type of police-reported family violence against children and youth.
- Parents (60%) were the family members most often accused of violence against children and youth, especially in incidents involving children under the age of four.
- The rate of police-reported family violence committed against children and youth tends to increase with age of the victim. However, when younger children (i.e., under the age of four) were victimized, they were more likely to be victimized by a family member.
- Overall, homicides against children and youth are relatively rare. When they do occur, unlike with other types of family violence, familial homicides were more common among younger age groups, with children under the age of one at greatest risk.
- Girls were more likely than boys to be victims of police-reported family violence, especially sexual assault. In 2013, the overall rate of police-reported family violence victimization for girls was 1.5 times higher (298.2 per 100,000) than the rate for boys (191.5 per 100,000); and the rate of sexual victimization by a family member was four times higher for girls (125.0 per 100,000) compared to boys (30.2 per 100,000).
- Physical injuries were reported for about 4 in 10 victims of family violence against children and youth; the vast majority of these were minor, requiring no medical treatment or requiring first aid.
- Charges were laid in less than half (45%) of family violence incidents against children and youth, compared to 59% of police-reported family violence involving adult victims aged 18 years and over.
Section 4
Family violence against seniors, 2013
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- Seniors represented a relatively small proportion of all family violence victims, about 3%, and had lower rates of family violence than any other age group.
- Rates of police-reported family violence are generally highest among younger seniors and gradually decline with age.
- In 2013, the police-reported rate of family violence for senior women (62.7 per 100,000) was higher (+26%) than the rate for senior men (49.7 per 100,000). Nevertheless, the difference between female and male rates of family violence among seniors is notably smaller than the gap observed between the sexes for younger victims.
- Similar to previous years, family members made up one-third of those accused in police-reported incidents of violent crime against seniors (aged 65 and over) in 2013, with just over 2,900 seniors (56.8 victims per 100,000 seniors) victimized by a family member that year. In total, nearly 8,900 (173.9 victims per 100,000 seniors) of persons aged 65 and over were the victims of a violent crime in Canada in 2013.
- Senior victims of family violence were most likely to be victimized by their own adult children. About 4 in 10 senior victims of police-reported family violence indicated that the accused was their grown child; spouses (28%) were the second most likely family members to be identified as perpetrators of family violence against seniors.
- Common assault accounted for more than half (55%) of violence committed against seniors by family members. Weapons were involved in fewer than one in six (15%) family violence incidents against senior victims. Most incidents (85%) involved the use of physical force or threats.
- A majority (61%) of senior victims of family violence did not sustain physical injuries. Among those who were injured, most sustained minor injuries requiring little or no medical attention (e.g., some first aid).
- Family violence against seniors that escalates to homicide continues to be rare. In 2013, the overall rate of family-related homicides was 3.2 for every 1 million persons aged 65 and over.
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