Statistics: Violence Against Women
Violence against women is a prevalent and well-documented social problem in Canada and around the world. The statistics provided below are categorized according to the pervasiveness of woman abuse in our society by: age (younger women 18-24) or women over 65, aboriginal women, immigrant or refugee women, women who are living with disabilities, abuse during pregnancy, abuse faced by those marginalized by their sexual orientation and gender identity, and the effects on children who witness abuse in the home.
Overall Statistics
- Consider these statistics on Canadian women who reported on violence in a current or previous spousal relationship in the past five years (n = 653,000) (see note 1):
- 81% reported having been pushed, shoved or grabbed;
- 61% were threatened to be hit;
- 44% reported having something thrown at them;
- 38% were beaten or choked;
- 36% were slapped;
- 27% were kicked, hit or bit; and
- 16% were sexually assaulted (see note 2)
- Emotional and financial abuse often accompany physical and sexual violence in either a current or previous relationship. 37% of women in a current or previous spousal relationship reporting on physical violence in the past five years also experienced some form of emotional abuse.
- 61% of women who were stalked by an intimate partner also indicated that they had experienced violence by a current or previous spouse or common-law partner in the last five years.
- Between 1994 and 2003, a history of family violence was present in 6 out of 10 spousal homicides.
- In both 1999 and 2004 (the years the General Social Survey was conducted), about 47% of female victims indicated that they had turned to a formal help agency because of the violence and abuse they experienced
For more statistics on Violence Against Women, please link to the PCAWA (Peel Committee Against Women Abuse).
