Violent victimization and perceptions of safety among First Nations, Métis and Inuit women and among women living in remote areas of Canada

Released: 2022-04-26

Indigenous women more likely to face violence in their lifetime

Indigenous people are overrepresented as victims of violence in Canada, and Indigenous women in particular experience disproportionately high rates of violence. Violent victimization against Indigenous people is rooted in the history of colonization that impacted and continues to impact Indigenous families and communities and Canadian society.

Overall, more than 6 in 10 Indigenous women (63%) experienced either physical or sexual assault in their lifetime (since age 15). More precisely, almost two-thirds of First Nations (64%) and Métis (65%) women experienced violent victimization in their lifetime, while the proportion among Inuit women (45%) was the same as the proportion among non-Indigenous women (45%).

Results from the 2018 Survey of Safety in Public and Private Spaces (SSPPS) and the 2019 General Social Survey (GSS) on Canadians' Safety (Victimization) are being released today in the Juristat article "Violent victimization and perceptions of safety: Experiences of First Nations, Métis and Inuit women in Canada." This article focuses on Indigenous women's experiences of self-reported violent victimization and examines the types of violence experienced, perceptions of neighbourhood disorder and safety, and confidence and trust in the police and the justice system. In addition, homicide data highlight the prevalence and characteristics of homicide of Indigenous women in Canada. A second report using the same data sources, entitled "Women's experiences of victimization in Canada's remote communities," explores similar experiences and perceptions among women in remote areas.

Indigenous women more likely to experience physical or sexual assault in their lifetime

According to the SSPPS, Indigenous women disproportionately experience violent victimization in their lifetime. Almost 6 in 10 Indigenous women (56%) have experienced physical assault in their lifetime, while almost half (46%) of Indigenous women have experienced sexual assault in their lifetime. In comparison, about one-third of non-Indigenous women have experienced physical (34%) or sexual (33%) assault in their lifetime.

Almost 6 in 10 First Nations (58%) and Métis (57%) women have experienced physical assault in their lifetime, and just under half of First Nations (48%) and Métis (48%) women have experienced sexual assault in their lifetime. The proportions of Inuit women who reported having experienced physical (39%) or sexual (28%) assault in their lifetime were similar to the proportions of physical (34%) or sexual (33%) assault reported by non-Indigenous women.

Chart 1 
Physical and sexual assault since age 15 among Indigenous and non-Indigenous women, by relationship to perpetrator, Canada, 2018

More than 4 in 10 Indigenous women experience intimate partner violence in their lifetime

According to the SSPPS, Indigenous women were more likely than non-Indigenous women to experience intimate partner violence in their lifetime—that is, violence committed by a current or former legally married or common-law spouse, dating partner, or other intimate partner. More than 4 in 10 Indigenous women (44%) experienced physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime, significantly higher than among non-Indigenous women (25%). These experiences were reported by over 4 in 10 First Nations women (43%) and almost half (48%) of Métis women.

In addition to violence perpetrated by an intimate partner, Indigenous women disproportionately experienced violence perpetrated by non-intimate partners, such as acquaintances, friends or strangers—55%, compared with 38% of non-Indigenous women. More specifically, 58% of First Nations women and 55% of Métis women experienced violent victimization by a non-intimate partner.

Intersection of Indigenous identity with other factors increases prevalence of violent victimization

While violent victimization was higher among Indigenous women overall, the intersectionality of Indigenous identity with other socioeconomic and demographic factors was found to contribute to differences in the prevalence of violent victimization among Indigenous women.

According to the SSPPS, 1 in 10 Indigenous women (11%) had been under the legal responsibility of the government as a child, compared with 2.3% of non-Indigenous women. Having been under the legal responsibility of the government as a child was associated with a greater likelihood of experiencing violent victimization in one's lifetime. A large proportion (81%) of Indigenous women who were ever under the legal responsibility of the government as children experienced violent victimization in their lifetime.

Having a disability was also strongly associated with the likelihood of lifetime violent victimization. Specifically, among Indigenous women, those with a disability (74%) were more likely than those without a disability (50%) to have experienced violent victimization in their lifetime. In addition, among women with a disability, Indigenous women (74%) were more likely than non-Indigenous women (57%) to have experienced violent victimization in their lifetime.

Homelessness was also associated with higher levels of victimization. According to the SSPPS, Indigenous women (9.4%) were about five times more likely than non-Indigenous women (1.9%) to have ever experienced homelessness. The vast majority (91%) of Indigenous women who reported having experienced homelessness also experienced violent victimization in their lifetime, compared with 6 in 10 Indigenous women (60%) who did not experience homelessness.

Indigenous women more likely to perceive social disorder in neighbourhood and have less confidence in police

Neighbourhood disorder—such as noisy neighbours or loud parties, garbage or litter lying around, and people using or dealing drugs in the neighbourhood—is associated with higher victimization rates and lower levels of life satisfaction and is often an indicator of the level of perceived safety and crime in neighbourhoods. According to the GSS, Indigenous women were more likely to perceive indicators of disorder in their neighbourhood, with about 7 in 10 Indigenous women (71%) reporting at least one small, moderate or big problem in their neighbourhood. In comparison, slightly fewer than 6 in 10 non-Indigenous women (57%) perceived social disorder in their neighbourhood.

While a large majority (82%) of Indigenous women indicated having a great deal of confidence in police, the proportion was lower than that among non-Indigenous women (91%). Moreover, Indigenous women (17%) were more than twice as likely to report having not very much or no confidence in the police, compared with non-Indigenous women (8.2%).

Chart 2 
Perceptions of neighbourhood disorder among Indigenous and non-Indigenous women, 2019

Women in remote areas more likely to experience repeated violence and report it to police

A second report released today, entitled "Women's experiences of victimization in Canada's remote communities," explores the victimization experiences of women living in remote areas of the country and compares them with those of women living in more accessible regions (i.e., areas with easy access to key goods and services).

This report found that overall, the victimization experiences of women living in remote areas of the country were similar in many ways to those of women living in accessible areas. According to the SSPPS, about 1 in 15 women in remote areas (7%) indicated that they had experienced some type of physical or sexual violence in the previous year, including violence that occurred either within or outside intimate relationships. This proportion was similar to that observed among women in accessible areas (6%).

Equal proportions of women living in remote areas (12%) and accessible areas (12%) experienced self-reported intimate partner violence in the past year. However, having experienced such violence multiple times was more common for women in remote areas (95% of women who had experienced intimate partner violence) than for women in accessible regions (83%). More than 4 in 10 women in remote areas who experienced IPV in the previous year (43%) said that they had experienced it on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.

Another notable difference between victims in remote areas relative to those in accessible areas was in their police reporting behaviours. For instance, violence against women in remote areas was more likely to be reported to the police; this was true for both intimate partner violence (16%) and non-intimate partner violence (43%), compared with women in accessible areas (6% and 12%, respectively). In addition, women in remote areas were more likely than those in accessible areas to have contacted the police themselves.

Women in remote areas more likely to perceive signs of social disorder in their neighbourhood

Many women in remote areas perceived some troubling aspects related to social disorder in their communities. Specifically, more than 7 in 10 (72%) stated that their neighbourhood was characterized by signs of social disorder—a considerably higher proportion than among women in accessible areas (58%). More than half (52%) of women in remote areas stated that people being drunk or rowdy in public places was a problem in their neighbourhood, compared with 19% of women in accessible areas. Similarly, women in remote areas more often said that their neighbourhoods had problems with garbage or litter lying around (50%, vs 32% of women in accessible areas); people using or dealing drugs (49% vs 27%); noisy neighbours or loud parties (44% versus 24%), and people being attacked or harassed because of their skin colour, ethnicity or religion (30% vs 10%).

Chart 3 
Perceptions of neighbourhood disorder among women living in remote areas and accessible areas, 2019

Products

The articles "Violent victimization and perceptions of safety: Experiences of First Nations, Métis and Inuit women in Canada" and "Women's experiences of victimization in Canada's remote communities" are now available as part of the publication Juristat (Catalogue number85-002-X).

Contact information

For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).