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Victimization data suggest that most incidents of sexual assault are not formally reported, with less than 1 in 10 coming to the attention of police. According to victimization data, the rates of sexual assault remained stable in recent years, while police-reported data show a trend of steady decline in offences coming to the attention of law enforcement. Further, both sources indicate that the majority of sexual offences in Canada are of a less serious nature.

Clearance rates by police and conviction rates in adult criminal courts are lower for sexual offences than for other types of violent crime. However, adults convicted of sexual offences generally tend to receive harsher sentences than those found guilty of other violent offences.

Females and youth were at particular risk of being sexually victimized. Victimization and police-reported data both indicate that the rate of sexual victimization for females was about 5 times the rate for males. Moreover, police-reported data indicate that over half of sexual assault victims in 2007 were children under the age of 18. Those accused of sexual assaults were most often male and the victim and accused were, in the majority of cases, known to each other. Victims of sexual assault commonly reacted to their victimization with anger, confusion and frustration. And while few filed formal reports with police, victims of sexual assault often turned to informal sources for support, typically friends.