Police-reported sexual offences against children and youth in Canada, 2012

This Juristat article examines the nature and prevalence of police-reported sexual offences against children (0 to 11 years of age) and youth (12 to 17 years of age) in Canada. In addition, differences in the type and frequency of victimization for girls and boys are presented. Characteristics of incidents, victims, and accused persons are explored, including the relationship between the accused and the victim, the age of the accused persons, and delays in reporting offences to the police. Using data from the 2012 Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, national, provincial/territorial, and census metropolitan area levels are also analyzed.