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A profile of Canada’s shelters for abused women
In 2008, there were 569 shelters across Canada providing
residential services to women and children escaping abusive situations.
Transition homes (47%), providing short- to moderate-term housing, and
emergency-type facilities (26%) made up the majority of shelters in Canada.
Prince Edward Island had the greatest number of shelters per capita
at 14 per 100,000 married, common-law and separated women,
followed by New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and Manitoba.
While 57% of shelters serve a suburban or urban population exclusively, 4%
are exclusively village or rural-area facilities (this includes rural shelters
serving reserves).
In addition to housing, the services most commonly offered to residents
were transportation, short-term counselling, advocacy, safety or protection
planning and housing referral, each provided by about 9 in 10 shelters.
About three-quarters of facilities offered services for children accompanying
their mother to shelters.
About two-thirds of facilities provided former and non-residents with
services such as crisis telephone lines, safety or protection planning, individual
short-term counselling and advocacy.
Police-reported spousal violence in Canada
In 2007, nearly 40,200 incidents of spousal violence
(i.e., violence against legally married, common-law, separated and divorced
partners) were reported to police. This represents about 12% of all police-reported
violent crime in Canada.
Police-reported spousal violence has steadily declined over the past 10 years,
decreasing 15% between 1998 and 2007.
The majority of victims of spousal violence continue to be females,
accounting for 83% of victims.
Spousal violence is twice as common between current partners (legally
married or common-law) as ex-partners.
Accounting for nearly two-thirds of offences, common assault was the
most frequent type of spousal violence according to police-reported data,
followed by major assault, uttering threats and criminal harassment or stalking.
Police laid charges in more than three-quarters of spousal violence
incidents reported in 2007. Incidents involving female victims were more
likely to result in charges being laid than those involving male victims.
Police-reported family violence against children and youth
Police-reported data for 2007 indicate that children and youth
under the age of 18 were most likely to be physically or sexually
assaulted by someone they know (85% of incidents).
Nearly 53,400 children and youth were the victims of a police-reported
assault in 2007, with about 3 in 10 incidents of
assaults against children and youth perpetrated by a family member.
When children and youth were victims of family violence, a parent was
identified as the abuser in nearly 6 in 10 incidents.
Girls under the age of 18 reported higher rates of both physical
and sexual assault by a family member than boys. In 2007, the rate of
family-perpetrated sexual assault was more than 4 times higher for
girls than for boys.
Male family members were identified as the accused in a sizable majority
of family-related sexual (96%) and physical assaults (71%) against children
and youth.
Police-reported family violence against older adults
In 2007, 1,938 incidents of family violence against seniors
were reported to police, representing more than one-third of all violent incidents
committed against older adults.
The rate of family violence for seniors (48 per 100,000) was
much lower than for those in younger age groups. Compared to seniors, the
family violence rate was twice as high for adults aged 55 to 64 (104 per 100,000)
and was more than 8 times higher among adults aged 25 to 34 (406 per 100,000).
Senior men (163 per 100,000) had a higher overall rate of
violent victimization compared to senior women (114 per 100,000).
However, senior women had higher rates of violent victimization by a family
member (52 per 100,000) compared to senior men (43 per 100,000).
Spouses and adult children were the most common perpetrators of family
violence against senior women, while adult children were most often the accused
in family violence against senior men.
Just over half of police-reported family violence incidents against
seniors were common assaults.
Half of police-reported incidents of family violence against seniors
did not result in physical injury. When physical injuries were sustained,
the vast majority (91%) were minor.
Family homicides
Spousal homicides
Rates of spousal homicide, which involve persons in legal marriages,
those who are separated or divorced from such unions, and those in common-law
relationships, declined over the 3 decades from 1978 to 2007.
In 2007, the spousal homicide rate of 4 per million spouses
was the lowest in over 30 years.
Women continue to be more likely than men to be victims of spousal homicide.
In 2007, almost 4 times as many women were killed by a current
or former spouse as men.
During the most recent decade, between 1998 and 2007,
about 41% of spousal homicides involved common-law partners and more
than one-third involved legally married persons.
Spousal homicide rates were highest for persons in the 15 to 24 year-old
age group.
Family homicides against children and youth
Homicides of children and youth (under the age of 18) represented
about 9% of all homicides in 2007. Most child and youth homicide
victims were killed by someone they knew. In 2007, 41% of child
and youth homicides were committed by a family member, 27% by someone
known to the victim but other than a family member, 20% by strangers
and the remaining 13% of child and youth homicides were unsolved.
Parents were the perpetrators in the majority of child and youth homicides
committed by family members. Fathers (54%) were more likely than mothers (34%)
to be the perpetrators.
Infants under the age of one experienced higher rates of family homicide
compared to older children. From 1998 to 2007, baby boys (35 per
million population) had somewhat higher rates than baby girls (27 per
million population).
In family homicides of infants, half of victims (51%) were killed by
their mother and 47% by their father, whereas in family homicides of
older children fathers were the most likely perpetrators.
Family homicides against older adults
The overall homicide rate was lower among adults aged 65 years
and older (9 per million population) compared to persons under 65 years
of age (23 per million population). However, rates of family-perpetrated
homicide for seniors (3.8 per million population) and non-seniors (4.5 per
million population) were comparable.
Senior female victims killed by a family member were most commonly killed
by their spouse (40%) or adult son (36%). In nearly two-thirds of family homicides
of senior men, an adult son was the accused killer.
Most often, frustration, anger or despair was the apparent motive for
family-perpetrated homicides against seniors. In contrast, financial gain
was the most commonly identified reason behind senior homicides committed
by non-family members.