Released: 2015-01-15
There were just under 88,000 victims of family violence in Canada in 2013, according to police-reported data. This represented more than one-quarter of all violent crimes reported to police.
Just under half (48%) of all victims of family violence were victimized by a current or former spouse. For another 17% of family violence victims, the accused was a parent, while for 14% the accused was an extended family member such as an in-law, uncle or grandparent. A further 11% of family violence victims were victimized by a sibling and for 10% the accused was the victim's own child.
As in previous years, a majority of police-reported incidents of family violence involved physical assault, which included actions and behaviours such as pushing, slapping, punching and face-to-face threats.
Police-reported data also reveal that in 2013 almost 7 in 10 family violence victims were female. In comparison, females represented 46% of victims of violent crimes that were not family-related. The over-representation of female victims was most prominent in the spousal violence category, where nearly 8 in 10 victims were female.
Rates of police-reported family violence varied by age. Among females, family violence victimization rates were generally highest for those in their thirties. However, for male victims, rates of family violence were highest for 15- to 19-year-olds. Seniors (aged 65 and over) recorded the lowest rates of police-reported family violence of any age group, regardless of gender.
More:
The Daily*—*Family violence in Canada: A statistical profile,*2013
Domestic violence crosses all racial, religious, political and gender boundaries.